


Danganronpa: Psycho Pass

by ButterFlyEffect



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Psycho-Pass
Genre: AU, Crossover, F/F, F/M, M/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-05-09 04:37:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 47,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14709218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButterFlyEffect/pseuds/ButterFlyEffect
Summary: As the newest member of the Public Safety Bureau's 14th Division, you hope to bring about a better future, but instead find yourself mercilessly thrown into the thick of the job after a mysterious cover-up from within. In a race against time, you attempt to strive towards the truth while also keeping the eccentric and disorganised enforcers in check, but you soon realise not everything is as it seems.(Eventual!Kokichi/Fem!Reader/Various, Psycho-Pass AU)





	1. First Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Hallo everyone! If you you are reading this, then thank you very much for checking out my newest work. I'm sorry I have been so quiet lately for those of you waiting for updates on my other works, but a change in circumstances has meant I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had as much time to post. I have been writing on and off in my spare time for fun however, and I decided to upload it to see what you guys think! 
> 
> Regarding my other works that many of you have been asking about, Strikhedonia and Le Douleur Exquise, I haven't given up on them! They're on a sort-of temporary Hiatus I guess, but I do intend to keep writing them. I've been extremely busy with a lot of stuff recently so I haven't had much time and I also lost a bit of faith in my writing, but I promise I will do my best to continue them both eventually. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my other works. Thanks again for being so patient! <3

First night on the job and it was pouring with rain, turning the night time cityscape slick and wet underfoot. Streetlights flickered almost ominously as you ran towards the entrance of the local station, a tall and square building, with offices that went all the way up to the top.

 

Rain spattered against your face and plastered your hair against your face as you ran, blinking the rain water out of your eyes.

 

The security bots were swarming around the place, but parted for you as you ran.

 

You ducked for cover under a kind of overhanging roof sheltering the buildings main entrance, where two other figures were already waiting.

 

You recognised the first as your supervising senior detective, Kyoko Kirigiri, a stoic young woman with long pale hair, lilac eyes and a stern pokerface. Her hair was tied back loosely and she looked almost entirely untouched by the rain, which made you feel a little self conscious of your own disheveled state.

 

The other was a young man in a dark uniform, not much older than yourself. He had straight black hair and anxious yellow-grey eyes, which were partly obscured by the cap he was wearing. Despite this, you still sensed his curious gaze wash over you as you scurried over and saluted.

 

“Junior Inspector (l/n) reporting for duty!” You exclaimed, skidding to a halt, your hair and clothes dropping with rain. “I am very sorry for being late! It won’t happen again.”

 

“Don’t mention it,” Kyoko answered, with a voice that was neither angry nor forgiving. “Here you’ll need one of these.”

 

She stepped aside and allowed you to see the familiar black and blue weapons you had been trained to use lined up in a kind of charging port. The Dominator, a highly advanced piece of weaponry that would read the targets psycho pass and react accordingly.

 

You gripped the handle of it firmly and lifted it away from it’s port, feeling the familiar weight of it in your hands.

 

Immediately it sprang into action, recognising your ID. The gun’s menu appeared in front of you, floating in front of your eyes. It had been hard to get used to at first, but you were prepared this time. It no longer felt as distracting as it had before, and more like a kind of second sight.

 

_“Dominator Portable Psychological Diagnosis and Suppression System has been activated. User authentication: Inspector (f/n) (l/n). Affiliation: Public Safety Bureau, Criminal Investigation Department, Division 14. Dominator usage approval confirmed. You are a valid user. The current enforcement mode is Non-Lethal Paralyzer. Aim calmly and disable the target._ ”

 

“You too, Saihara,” Kyoko ordered the other boy, who you assumed was Saihara.

 

He jumped, obviously on edge, and nodded, standing beside you and hesitantly picking up his own gun. From what you could gather he was a new recruit as well. This was your first mission as inspectors and while you were managing to keep your nerves controlled fairly well, the anxiety on Saihara’s face reflected your current feelings well.

 

For your first case, this was going to be pretty intense. Someone had called in reporting what sounded like gunshots and screams coming from a nearby building.

 

For some reason the building reported was restricted to the security bots, who were therefore unable to enter and get a read on the situation. You would be going in blind.

 

“I trust you've already been filled in?” Kyoko asked.

 

“A-Ah...yes,” Saihara nodded nervously.

 

“Yes, miss!” you confirmed in a formal tone.

 

“Drop that. We’re a team now,” she answered cooly. “And one more thing...usually I like to get introductions out of the way before a case like this, but it looks like you two are going to have to learn on the job. This is going to require the assistance of our enforcers.”

 

You gulped nervously. You had heard about the enforcers of course. Latent criminals marked by their psycho pass who worked for the Public Safety Bureau in return for a limited amount of freedom and access to the outside world. They were hardened and unpredictable, but extremely useful in the field, having seen their fair share of crime many times over.

 

But if you wanted to catch a criminal, you had to think like one. This was a dangerous game however, should your psycho pass pick up this dangerous viewpoint. That’s what the enforcers were for. As the inspector, you were therefore called on to keep an eye on them and were allowed to use your Dominator on them, should they behave out of line. You sincerely hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

 

You had read their files extensively of course, but you had never personally worked with these people before.

 

A grey van began to pull up as you stood there worrying, and both you and Saihara tensed up slightly upon recognition. This was the vehicle that held the enforcers.

 

The van slid to a halt and an officer hopped out from the front seat.

 

“Inspector Kirigiri,” he greeted respectfully and headed around the back of the van.

 

Kyoko nodded, unbothered by their arrival. She must have seen many cases in her time, despite her young age.

 

The moment the officer opened the back of the van, bickering could be heard, mainly between a playful male voice and a female one.

 

“S-So I made a mistake!” the female snapped defensively, strutting out of the back of the van. “It’s rare, y’know.”

 

She had wavy blonde hair, complete with a pair of goggles on her head. She also wore a kind of pink uniform with black boots. Her collar was open a little too wide, revealing more of herself than you would have felt comfortable with and her outfit was complete with black straps that seemed to hold her uniform in place.

 

You recognised her as Miu Iruma from her file. The system had picked her up after one of her infamous experiments had gone awry, which had resulted in her blowing up half the building. She was an unpredictable character for sure, and even her appearance was intimidating.

 

“It’s not so rare for you to make a mistake,” the male grinned, hopping out of the vehicle after and throwing his hands casually behind his head. “After all, your whole existence was a mistake.”

 

He was a short boy, with fairly long wavy hair, and a mischievous smile. He wore a white uniform that somehow reminded you of a straight jacket, with its free flowing straps and a checkered handkerchief around his neck. He had bright purple eyes and a deceptive smirk and you could tell he would be one to watch out for.

 

This boy was Kokichi Ouma. He was a compulsive liar, cloaked in a veil of secrets that hid his true nature. He was known to be deceitful and mischievous, but nobody could deny that he was excellent in his role as an enforcer. He was intelligent and quick-witted, often capable of predicting the opponents next move. If only he was more serious about it...

 

He had been picked up several years ago by a random check done by one of the security bots. He had been living on the street for whatever reason with a group of runaways and pickpockets, who now resided in a special facility for latent criminals.

 

“You vicious little...!” Miu whimpered, flinching at Kokichi’s words as though physically struck.

 

“Okay, knock it off you two,” a third voice answered and a man stepped out, pushing between them. He was tall with dark spiky hair and wore a smart suit and tie. Compared to the others he looked rather plain, but according to his file he had once been an inspector himself.

 

His name was Jin Kirigiri, and his hue had clouded due to stress from his job, which resulted in him being picked up by one of the scanners, but due to his excellent crime solving record, he had been allowed to stay in the Public Safety Bureau as an enforcer.

 

He shared his surname with Inspector Kirigiri, something you were undoubtedly curious about, but decided not to read into. Nobody had said anything about it, so it seemed like a taboo subject. Or perhaps it was just a coincidence. Either way, it shouldn’t impact on your job.

 

“Ahh... To be lumped together with those two,” a forth voice sighed disappointedly. “I really do have the worst luck...”

 

It was a smooth, almost feminine voice that sent chills down your spine, and a moment later a tall lanky boy with a mess of tangled white hair stepped out if the van. He was wearing a green jacket over a casual shirt and jeans and his eyes were a washed out grey colour. He smiled eerily at you at you as he approached.

 

Nagito Komaeda, an interesting case in all aspects. He was once the sole heir to a large estate after his parents were tragically killed in a terrorist accident on board a plane. He was also known well for his win in a fairly recent lottery draw, although he had of course lost it all when his psycho pass had become clouded with stress induced by his swaying luck and he had become an enforcer, due to his influence and intelligence.

 

“Hah, you fuckin’ wish you were on my level!” Iruma snorted, wrinkling her nose at Nagito. “My perfect looks and golden brain will go down in history!”

 

“Yeah, as a dangerous terrorist maybe,” Kokichi cackled gleefully.

 

“Apologise! Apologise right now!” Iruma whimpered. “If I can’t work anymore because of the shock, it’ll be a huge loss to all of humankind!”

 

“Ahh... Those two are so hopeless,” Nagito murmured sadly.

 

Jin pinched his nose in exasperation and muttered something under his breath.

 

“Hey, Inspector!” Kokichi beamed at you. “Can’t you do something to make that shitty cum dumpster shut her big mouth?”

 

“M-Me?” you stammered, taken aback by his vulgar language.

 

“C-Cum dumpster...?” Miu gasped, drooling. “S-Someone finally called me a cum dumpster...!”

 

“That’s enough, Kokichi,” Kyoko interrupted. “You answer to me.”

 

“Aww, you’re no fun!” Kokichi chortled. “I’m just trying to greet the newbies.”

 

“Hey, stop fuckin’ around with the new kids,” Miu sneered, recovering. “You might make flatty over there start crying!”

 

“Flatty?” you repeated, offended.

 

“Ignore them,” Jin told you, stepping in between you and the two arguing enforcers and holding out a hand to shake. “Jin Kirigiri. Nice to meet you.”

 

“A-Ah, I’m (f/n) (l/n),” you answered unsurely, shaking his large hand. “I just arrived today.”

 

You cursed yourself almost as soon as you said it. You were meant to be their superior, and yet you were showing such uncertainty in front of them. These were the people who needed to respect your decisions.

 

“I’m Nagito Komaeda,” Nagito added with a sickly-sweet smile. “Ah, but I guess you already read my file.”

 

Jin pulled back his hand and then again held it out to Saihara, who had been watching the scene in an apprehensive silence up until now.

 

“And you are...?” he prompted the young Inspector.

 

“O-Oh... My name is Saihara...Shuichi Saihara,” Shuichi responded and shook Jin’s hand wearily. It seemed at least that you weren’t the most nervous person around. Seeing someone be so anxious somehow helped calm you down.

 

“There will be time for proper introductions later,” Kyoko interrupted the proceedings. “I trust you have all been briefed. Miu and Nagito will come around the back with me. (L/n), Saihara, you will take Kirigiri and Kokichi with you and secure the stairways. Leave no exits open for potential escape.”

 

You noted that while she called most of the enforcers by their first names, she called Jin by his surname ‘Kirigiri’. Was it just because he was older than her or did the reason run deeper than that?

 

“Question!” Kokichi piped up, throwing up his hand.

 

There was a collective groan from the other enforcers, which told you that he was about to say something unnecessary. Despite his childish appearance, there was something about him that told you he was trouble, and had a lot more going on behind his mask than he let on.

 

Kyoko narrowed her eyes. “What?”

 

“Do we get to use those super-cool-and-totally-not-boring electro blasters?” Kokichi beamed, eyes shining with exaggerated excitement.

 

“Yeah, yeah, you just wanna blow shit up,” Miu jabbed.

 

“Aww, you got me!” he grinned. “Just kidding! A dangerous weapon like that is soooo boring.”

 

“...the use of the Dominators is authorised,” Kyoko told him. “But keep in mind that-“

 

“I got it, you’ll send me back to the slammer,” the short boy interrupted. “Buuut you don’t need to worry! I don’t want to go back somewhere that boring.”

 

“Aw hell no, I don’t wanna go back there,” Miu complained. “At least send the uggos back first!”

 

“You hear that, Nagito? You better run,” Kokichi called out to the white-haired boy.

 

“Huh? Why are you so concerned about me all of a sudden?” Nagito chuckled sheepishly, holding up his hands.

 

“That’s enough,” Jin shushed them, noting Kyoko’s annoyance. “We’re wasting time. Kokichi, we’re going on ahead. (L/n), Saihara, please stay close behind us at all times.”

 

“R-Right!” You nodded, snapping to attention.

 

“Y-Yes, of course,” Shuichi added.

 

“Aww man, why do I have to go in front?” Kokichi complained. “I don’t wanna be a meat shield!”

 

Kyoko had already rounded up Miu and Nagito, and they were heading in the opposite direction, towards the back of the building.

 

“There’s no need to be so formal,” Jin told you and Shuichi, ignoring Kokichi’s complaints as you headed around the front, sticking close to the walls and slipping through side streets. “You’re our superiors after all. You’ll do well to remember that.”

 

You exchanged a short glance with Shuichi, who met your eyes for a second before looking anxiously away again. The same thought had crossed both of your minds; it felt weird to have someone who was technically your senior working under you. Jin had more experience than the both of you put together, and certainly his opinions would be worth considering, and yet you had to remember that he was also a latent criminal. You were working alongside the very people society taught you to stay away from.

 

As Jin and Kokichi walked along in front of you, you sneakily aimed your Dominator at their backs, curious to see their psycho pass readings.

 

When you aimed at Jin, the reading came up with a value of 126, well above the 100 mark. It somehow further hammered into your head the kind of people the enforcers were. But they were just people, right? They were human as well. You tried to remind yourself of that. You had to keep it together, after all you were their superior.

 

When you read from Kokichi’s hue, you almost did a double take, your breath catching in your throat. His reading was all the way up to 164. Despite his childish personality, it really did seem that he had a much more deceptive side. You would have to keep an eye on him.

 

“Nishishishi~! You must be totes surprised that someone as well-behaved as me has a reading like that,” Kokichi grinned, without even turning to look at you.

 

“Well-behaved...?” You asked incredulously. More importantly, how had he known you were watching!?

 

Shuichi had said nothing during this exchange, but out of the corner of your eye you saw him sneakily point his own Dominator at Kokichi’s back.

 

“Nishishi...I lied,” he answered. “But how mean of you to point that dangerous weapon at little old me... Don’t you trust me, Inspector (l/n)? I think I’m gonna cry...”

 

“Ssh!” Jin hissed, pausing at the corner of the street and glancing around down the road. “I can see the building...”

 

“Hm?” Kokichi paused, his expression changing. He still didn’t look serious exactly, but he had cocked his head attentively, as though listening out for danger.

 

“Do you hear something?” you asked cautiously.

 

“It totally sounded like a biiiig and scary monster,” Kokichi grinned wickedly.

 

“A monster...?” You frowned. Was this guy pulling your leg or...?

 

“It’s a lie!” he answered cheerfully. “Actually this place is weirdly quiet.”

 

“That can’t be right,” Shuichi pointed out quietly. “Someone reported gunshots, and...”

 

He was interrupted by a scream from the inside of the building. It was high-pitched with fear and anger, but was suddenly cut off by something or someone unknown. Whatever it was was completely silent.

 

“What was that!?” you hissed.

 

“I don’t know,” Jin admitted, his eyes narrowed. “I suggest we head in. Whatever is inside could still be dangerous, so be careful.”

 

You exchanged a short glance with Shuichi and nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

 

With Jin in the lead, the four of you rushed out from behind the corner and sprinted over to the front door. The security droids outside parted for you, allowing you to pass and enter the dark building.

 

It was obviously misused, and the inside was dusty. You supposed that explained the lack of a security system. But something was going on inside, and you were determined to find out what.

 

The moment you stepped in through the door, you found yourself in a dark hallway. To your left and your right, the dim hall stretched out into the darkness, obscuring your vision.

 

“What now, Inspector?” Jin asked, glancing at you.

 

“M-Me...?” you stammered. You were already being called on for such a risky decision...

 

Jin nodded, turning back to look down the hall. He was obviously keeping an eye out for danger. Kokichi was watching your other side, his smile never giving anything away. If he was at all nervous or worried, it didn’t show.

 

“Well...” you murmured, trying to buy yourself some time. You couldn’t panic in a situation like this. You had to think back to what Kyoko had said.

 

“We split up,” you decided. “Two of us go right, and the other two go left.”

 

You prayed this was the right answer.

 

“Split up...?” Shuichi repeated worriedly. “But that would mean splitting forces...”

 

“I know how you feel,” you responded, trying your best to sound confident. “But Kirigiri...um, Inspector Kirigiri, told us to block the exits, so...”

 

“In that case, Inspector Saihara, why don’t we take the right?” Jin suggested. “Inspector (l/n) can take Kokichi and go the other way.”

 

“With Kokichi!?” You blurted out before you could stop yourself. “By myself!?”

 

“Should he act out of turn you have full authority to use your Dominator on him,” Jin reminded you. “I’m certain you can handle him.”

 

You supposed be had a point... The other option was that Kokichi went with Shuichi, and the poor boy looked even more anxious than you felt. Jin was a reassuring presence, so it probably would be for the best if he went with Shuichi. Still, you weren’t sure about handling Kokichi by yourself.

 

“You would use your dominator on me?” Kokichi protested, exaggerated crocodile tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “You guys are so mean! Waaaaaahh!”

 

“Quiet,” Jin snapped, cuffing the younger enforcer lightly around the head. “Let’s go.”

 

“Ow...” Kokichi whined, but complied nonetheless.

 

And so the four of you split up, Jin and Shuichi going in one direction, while you and Kokichi went in the other.

 

It wasn’t long before Shuichi and Jin disappeared from your sight and you were left alone with the short enforcer.

 

He was walking with his hands tossed casually behind his head, glancing around as he went. You had expected more trouble from him, but to your surprise he was quiet. He appeared to be listening out for something.

 

You checked rooms as you went, which all appeared to be old offices, break rooms and in one case an old nurses office. You winced a little upon seeing the discarded needles, smashed bottles and other grime inside and wondered just how long this place had been abandoned. Kokichi seemed to wrinkle his nose at it as well, and pulled you out before you’d even had the chance to properly check around.

 

“H-Hey, what if we missed something important?” You asked in protest.

 

“There’s nothing in there, silly! I wouldn’t lie to you,” he added, noting your expression. “I hate liars!”

 

“...that’s a lie too, right?” you asked.

 

“You got me! You’re a fast learner, Inspector (l/n)~!”

 

“...”

 

It wasn’t long before you reached a stairwell to the next floor. There wasn’t any other escape route, so you decided to continue up to the next floor. With any luck Shuichi and Jin would be securing the other stairwell, blocking any escape routes.

 

Just then your earpiece crackled, making you jump slightly and Shuichi’s voice could be heard: “We’re at a stairwell. We’re heading up.”

 

“Ah...” You awkwardly pressed the button for the earpiece and answered: “Okay, roger that... We’ll take the other one.”

 

“Isn’t this exciting?” Kokichi beamed, hopping up the stairs in front of you. “We’re like secret agents! Now that I think about it, shouldn’t we have codenames or something?”

 

His chattering was putting you on edge, but his presence was somehow still somewhat reassuring. He didn’t seem concerned, which meant that surely he didn’t sense any danger...right?

 

Your earpiece beeped again and Kyoko’s voice came crackling through: “We’ve secured the back entrance. What’s your current position?”

 

“I’m heading up the west stairway with Kokichi,” you answered, keeping your voice low.

 

“I’ve sent for backup out front,” Kyoko answered. “Don’t worry about leaving openings. Searching the building is now our first priority.”

 

“Yes, miss,” you responded and turned your attention back to the stairwell in front of you. You had just about reached the third floor and there still wasn’t any sign of life.

 

“Hmmm... Do you smell that?” Kokichi spoke up after a moment, sniffing experimentally at the air.

 

You were about to ask him what he meant when the scent hit your own nose as well. It was a metallic, raw smell that somehow made your stomach turn.

 

“Ugh...!” You spluttered, slapping your palms over your mouth in disgust.

 

“Yeah, me neither!” Kokichi chirped.

 

As he spoke, something dripped from the stairs above and landed on your cheek below. It was warm and sticky, and somehow felt thick against your skin.

 

Your fingers twitched towards it, about to brush it off your face, but something stopped you and you hesitated.

 

Kokichi had turned back to look at you and his eyes widened fractionally. He took a couple of steps towards you down the stairwell and brushed his fingers against your cheek.

 

They came away red.

 

Kokichi sniffed the sticky, red liquid and wrinkled his nose.

 

“Shit,” he cursed and whirled around, running up the stairs and taking three or four at a time.

 

“A-Ah! Kokichi, wait!” You protested and ran after him.

 

Luckily he hadn’t gone far however, and you ran right into his back around the corner and almost sent you both tripping up the next flight of stairs.

 

Grabbing hold of the banister to steady yourself, you glanced nervously over Kokichi’s shoulder and retched, coughing at the strong smell of iron.

 

In front of you, crumpled on the flight of stairs was the lifeless body of a school girl. Her short blonde hair was spilling loose of its buns and a torn red ribbon was clutched in one of her hands.

 

Her uniform was plain, a white shirt with a black ruffled skirt, and had been viciously torn open at the stomach.

 

It wasn’t just her uniform that was torn though, the skin beneath it had been shredded as well, a mess of blood and gore resembling minced meat.

 

Her violet eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling and her mouth was agape in an endless silent scream.

 

Blood was oozing from the wound and her mouth and dripping onto the stairs below.

 

You trembled in fear at the horrific sight, and once again clamped a hand over your mouth, swallowing thickly so as not to throw up.

 

“Aww man, I guess we were too late,” Kokichi sighed. “This soooo wasn’t in the job description.”

 

You turned and gave him a look, to which he grinned and added: “That’s a lie! I totally expected something like this.”

 

“Wh-Who was she...?” You whispered, shaking your head.

 

“Weeeell...why don’t we find out?” your companion answered, and knelt down beside the body, reaching into the pocket of the dead girl’s shirt.

 

“H-Hey, what are you-“

 

“Kiriki Nishizawa,” Kokichi interrupted, pulling out a student ID card and holding it up between two fingers.

 

“...Huh?”

 

“That’s her name,” he shrugged. “Kiriki Nishizawa.”

 

“Kiriki...Nishizawa...” you breathed shakily. “Can I see that?”

 

Kokichi held the card out for you and you reached for it, only for him to snatch it back again with a grin. You glared at him, and after a moment he held it out again for you to take.

 

You grabbed it quickly out of his hand, just in case he meant to pull more tricks and regarded the photo on the ID, squinting in the dim light.

 

It was her alright. She looked alive and well in the photo and was smiling sweetly at the camera, a far cry away from the gory mess splayed out on the staircase in front of you.

 

“Th-Then we have a positive ID,” you murmured. “That’s good, right?”

 

Somehow the word ‘good’ didn’t quite fit with the scene in front of you, but you couldn’t think of anything else.

 

Turning away from the mess on the staircase, you placed a hand to your earpiece and spoke: “Miss Kirigiri, it’s me (l/n). Reporting a casualty on the forth floor west stairwell.”

 

“Understood,” Kyoko’s calm voice came back to you. “I’ll request medical assistance right away. Continue the search.”

 

“She...she wants us to keep searching,” you reported to Kokichi.

 

“Nishishi~ Inspector Kirigiri is as cold as always!” he answered cheekily. “Even after something like that... Just kidding! It doesn’t bother me at all.”

 

You weren’t sure about that, but you remained quiet as you stepped out into the forth floor hallway. You winced as you did, noting several more blood splatters on the floor and walls, much to your dismay.

 

“What happened here...?” You murmured.

 

“Jeez,” Kokichi pouted impatiently. “Stop asking boring questions. That’s what we’re here to find out!”

 

“R-Right...”

 

The silence was interrupted by an explosive bang, loud enough to cause your ears to ring. You jumped violently at the sound as something whizzed past your ear and embedded itself in the wall behind you.

 

The noise echoed throughout the building and bounced off the walls, followed by the sound of something metallic falling to the floor.

 

Before you even had the chance to recover and regain your senses, another gunshot ran out. Kokichi after quickly, immediately throwing himself at you and sending both of you crashing to the ground.

 

He was up again in an instant as the bullet zoomed past the spot you had been standing a split second before and grabbed your hand, pulling you up and into a nearby office, slamming the door shut behind him.

 

As your head whirled, your thoughts trying to catch up with you, Kokichi’s gaze flickered searchingly around the office until he noted a small storage cupboard at the back of the room.

 

“In there,” he hissed, tugging you after him around a pile of old desks, and throwing open the cupboard door.

 

He shoved you roughly inside before squeezing in with you. And pulling the wooden door shut after you, leaving a crack that was just wide enough for you to see into the room outside.

 

There was barely any room in the closet to move and you were pressed right up against Kokichi, who was holding his Dominator at the ready. Your hands tightened on your own Dominator as the two of you watched tensely through the small crack of the closet door. You found yourself holding your breath as you waiting, almost afraid to breathe.

 

Both of you tensed as the door to the office slid open and a short boy walked in, holding some kind of old-fashioned gun. You couldn’t help but wonder where he got such a thing from. Those kinds of firearms were hard to find nowadays.

 

He also wore a school uniform, though he had a hoodie on under his school blazer. He was carrying a bear plush in one of his pockets, which looked out of place on a boy holding a gun. His black hair was cut roughly into a bowl cut and his eyes were a striking blue. Was this the assailant who had shot at you before?

 

Your earpiece began to crackle: “(L/n)! (L/n)? Are you alright? We heard a gunshot!”

 

It was Shuichi’s voice. It sounded like he was alright at least, but right now you were too afraid to move, let alone answer him, in case your attacker overheard.

 

“(L/n)?” Shuichi asked again. “Please come in...”

 

He was starting to sound panicky, but there was nothing you could do. You had two options at this point, either you could stay in hiding and pray the boy outside didn’t notice you or you could jump out and rush him. Both options sounded risky.

 

The value on your psycho pass had risen by one and you could tell you were under a lot of pressure. What was the protocol for this kind of situation?

 

You glanced helplessly at Kokichi, but he didn’t even seem to notice, staying fixed on the boy outside. Slowly he began to point his weapon towards the target and his finger twitched on the trigger. You could tell he didn’t want to miss. You would have one chance at this shot and he didn’t want to mess it up. If he did, you would be giving away your position and the boy with the gun would know where you were.

 

Kokichi narrowed his eyes slightly and steadied his hand. He began to squeeze on the trigger and then...

 

“Hey over here, ya fuckin’ psycho!” a female voice yelled from the door to the office.

 

This was followed by the sound of an electrical bolt, which shot through the air and hit the boy in the back before he even had time to turn around.

 

Before your eyes, the boy began to swell and bulge grotesquely, dropping the gun in his agony. He screamed loudly in pain, but was cut off when he quite literally burst open, skin splitting, followed by a firework of gore. His entrails splattered across the room from the force of the hit and Kokichi pulled the door shut in time to avoid the shower of blood.

 

It took a lot of effort on your behalf not to bring your food back up, and you groaned in disgust in the dark of the closet, lit only by the electrical glowing of your Dominators.

 

After a moment or so Kokichi threw open the door of the closet without warning and stepped out, the soles of his shoes getting covered in the sticky substance below his feet as he did.

 

“Miu!” He beamed. “I never thought I’d actually be happy to see your disgusting face!”

 

The girl by the door sneered in response and answered: “I’m only here because you two shit-for-brains decided to go and make out in a closet instead of doing your fuckin’ job.”

 

“Aww, you’re just jealous because you’re not getting any action instead,” Kokichi quipped right back.

 

“Why you little...!”

 

“Miu, how did you find us?” you interrupted, relieved to see her despite yourself.

 

“I used a fuckin’ magical chant,” she answered, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. “I heard gunshots, how did you think I knew, Pig-Tits?”

 

“Oh, right...” you answered sheepishly, feeling stupid. Of course she must have heard the gunshots. They had been pretty loud after all.

 

A moment later more footsteps came thundering down the hall and Shuichi ran into the room, almost slipping on a puddle of blood on the floor and only just managing to catch himself on the doorframe.

 

Jin was right behind him, hurrying into the room and asking: “What happened? We heard gunshots!”

 

“What...happened here...?” Shuichi panted, looking around the blood splattered room with a queasy expression.

 

Kokichi knelt down and picked something up out of the mess, holding it up above his head to get a better look.

 

It was the gun your assailant had been carrying, an old fashioned rifle of some kind. It was the sort of gun only found in the military or the black market. There were very few still in circulation and ammunition was hard to come across. These types of guns still used gunpowder, and were therefore dangerous and unpredictable.

 

“Hey, by the way, who’s busted ass are we standing in right now?” Miu asked, causing Shuichi to gasp and take a step back.

 

“Um, yeah... Getting a positive ID on this one might be kinda hard,” you agreed, trying not too look at the mess on the floor too closely.

 

“We’ll check the nearby scanners later,” Jin suggested. “I doubt he could have moved all the way through the city without at least one of them picking him up.”

 

His voice was soon followed by an ear-piercing scream from the next floor. It was angry and panicked like someone fighting for their life and all five of you glanced upwards instinctively.

 

“N-Now what?” Shuichi asked worriedly.

 

“Who cares!?” Miu snapped. “Whatever’s up there is obviously dangerous. No way in hell am I sticking my neck out for you losers!”

 

“I don’t wanna go either,” Kokichi added. “Unlike you, lot’s of people would be sad if I died, you know?”

 

“You lying little...”

 

“Haha, just kidding!” Kokichi interrupted her cheerily. “Nobody would be sad if I died!”

 

Another scream echoed down the halls, followed by a revving noise that sounded like an engine or a generator of some kind.

 

“There’s no time,” Shuichi decided. “We need to go, now.”

 

“Yeah, let’s go,” you agreed, with a determined nod.

 

Jin nodded and followed after you, back into the walkway.

 

“Welp, I guess that’s that!” Kokichi added, and went after you as well.

 

“W-Wait a minute! You’re just going to leave me here!?” Miu protested. “H-Hey!”

 

Getting no response, she ran after you as well, and the five of you sprinted back towards the west stairwell.

 

Jin and Kokichi overtook you and bounded up the stairs past the body of the schoolgirl from before, barely giving it a glance. With everything else that had happened, you had almost forgotten about it already.

 

“Wh-What happened here?” Shuichi gasped as you ran past it up the steps.

 

“I don’t know,” you panted. “She was like that when we found her.”

 

The five of you turned the corner and ran up the rest of the stairs into the fifth floor hallway, following the noise of the engine.

 

“In here,” Jin announced, pushing open a sliding door to another room.

 

Everyone crowded in after him in time to see a figure holding a bloodied chainsaw go rushing at another.

 

The bespectacled boy holding the revving chainsaw launched himself forward.

 

“Look out!” you yelled at the other figure, who barely reacted despite having a chainsaw coming his way. His red eyes were calm and concentrated, and his long black hair flowed around him freely.

 

Before anyone had a chance two stop the two, the long-haired boy twisted suddenly and kicked the chainsaw-wielding boy straight in the chest, sending him flying back. He crashed into a window, shattering it, teetered for a moment and then fell forward again...right on top of the revving chainsaw.

 

Shuichi flinched back, not wanting to watch but unable to tear his eyes away as the boy’s chest and neck was torn to pieces, almost severing his head entirely. 

 

You had closed your eyes before the impact, unable to watch.

 

Miu started to retch and moan, stumbling away from the door.

 

Jin and Kokichi tensed, watching the scene with similar stony expressions.

 

You peaked your eyes open, to find the red-eyed boy turning towards you and staring sternly at you. As the chainsaw rattled to a halt another gunshot rang out and a bullet shot past his ear, grazing his cheek. His red eyes widened and he turned to look back at the boy holding the gun. It seemed that his attacker had used to the last of his strength to fire the bullet before it dropped out of his hand and he went limp.

 

With the immediate threat eliminated, you realised that his was not the only body littering the floor of the fifth floor office. The bodies of various school students were scattered around the room, butchered and bloody.

 

You and Shuichi jumped simultaneously when the silence was interrupted by Kyoko’s voice sounding in your ears: “(L/n), Saihara, what’s the situation up there?”

 

“A-Ah... The threat appears to be mostly eliminated,” you answered.

 

“We have a survivor,” Shuichi added, eyeing the tall, dark figure wearily.

 

“A survivor?” Kyoko repeated, sounding slightly surprised.

 

“Yeah... Requesting back up and medical attention,” Shuichi responded shakily, eyes washing over the discarded bodies.

 

“Understood,” Kyoko confirmed and the line went quiet.

 

The surviving boy eyed you thoughtfully as you and your companions slowly entered the room.

 

“Um, hi,” you addressed him uncertainly. His eyes were disinterested and unfeeling. Perhaps he was in shock? “I’m Inspector (l/n). I’m with the Public Safety Bureau. You’re safe now. Could you tell me what happened here?”

 

For a moment the stranger was silent. Then he muttered: “...how boring.”

 

“Sir?” You asked, concerned. It seemed he was even more affected than you thought. “Sir, could you please tell me your name?”

 

“...my name makes no difference to you,” he answered, expressionless. “But I guess you can call me Izuru Kamukura.”

 

You frowned. Izuru Kamukura... Where had you heard that name before?

 

“(L/n), there’s someone over here who’s still breathing,” Shuichi interrupted your thoughts urgently.

 

“Huh!?” You gasped, forgetting your conversation with Izuru and rushing over to him, kneeling down on the floor opposite Shuichi.

 

Gently you placed your ear against the boys chest. It was faint, but it was there.

 

You could hear a heartbeat.


	2. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo again! I'm posting this now since I have a couple of prewritten chapters. I'm not sure if it's any good to be honest, because I was writing this series more for my own amusement than anything, and I wasn't originally going to upload it, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!
> 
> -ButterFly

“Kyoko! What happened? Is everyone okay?” a male voice exclaimed and a moment later a young man in his early twenties came bursting in through the door, holding a stack of papers, which he dumped on a nearby desk and rushed over.

 

He had a youthful and handsome face, despite his almost plain appearance, and olive-green eyes that were wide with concern. You recognised him as Kyoko’s partner, Inspector Makoto Naegi.

 

In other words, he was your senior and superior. It was a little weird to imagine due to his flustered expression as he rushed over to where you all sat huddled on the sofas in the break area, waiting for the official reports to come in.

 

Miu was hunched over the coffee table, tinkering with what looked like a security drone. Jin stared thoughtfully ahead, tapping his foot impatiently. Shuichi was seated on one of the sofas, his legs crossed, reading a crime novel, which seemed kind of ironic and Kokichi had somehow persuaded Nagito to play a board game against him, which the white haired boy was spectacularly losing. You couldn’t help but wonder if Kokichi was cheating.

 

Kyoko had been leaning against the wall, her eyes closed in thought until Makoto had come rushing in. She now glanced up in time for Makoto to grab one of her gloved hands in both of his and bombard her with questions.

 

She attempted to fend him off, answering his questions shortly and promising to give him all of the details in her report. Makoto didn’t seem satisfied by this.

 

It wasn’t until Jin cleared his throat disapprovingly that he let go and apologised, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

 

Kyoko huffed in annoyance, though you couldn’t tell if it was due to Makoto’s excitable nature or Jin’s interruption.

 

You stood up and bowed slightly to Makoto, introducing yourself: “Um, nice to meet you. I’m (f/n) (l/n)...I look forward to working with you.”

 

“Shuichi Saihara,” the boy beside you added, standing up as well. “Pleased to meet you, Sir.”

 

“Ahah! I’m happy to meet you too,” Makoto responded, smiling kindly at the two of you. He had an open and trusting face and you had to look away to hide the blush that was rising to your cheeks. You had seen him before in pictures, but this was the first time you had met him in person. He seemed sweet, but at the same time unaware of it, like a friendly puppy.

 

“Actually, I kind of forgot you guys were arriving today,” Makoto admitted with a bashful smile. “I’ll, uh, get your desks ready for tomorrow.”

 

“No, that’s okay,” you answered, dazzled.

 

“Are you fuckin’ serious!” Miu snapped. “Could you be any more obvious!? Get your chin off the floor!”

 

“H-Hey, leave me alone!” you snapped back, blushing fiercely.

 

“Woah, no fair!” Kokichi burst out suddenly. “No way! How did I lose!?”

 

“Ahahah... I guess I just got lucky,” Nagito chuckled gently. “Sorry about that...”

 

“That is so unbelievably...” Kokichi grumbled, chewing his thumbnail in annoyance. “...COOL! Say, when we get out of here, what do you think about joining my super secret evil organisation? We could totally use someone like you!”

 

“...e-evil organisation?” Shuichi stammered.

 

“I think I’ll pass on that,” Nagito answered.

 

“Ignore him,” Kyoko answered. “More importantly...”

 

She had brought up the screen on her psycho pass and was flicking through various messages.

 

“Oh, that’s right... How are those two doing?” you asked, referring to the survivors.

 

Kyoko frowned and you understood why. The two boys you had brought in were a total mystery. One was in a coma and the other had kept a stoic silence since arriving, not giving anything away.

 

And even stranger than that, the one who had called himself Izuru Kamukura didn't have a psycho pass reading, something that was literally unheard of and basically impossible in Japan at this day and age. He was completely off the grid. You hadn’t found any records of him anywhere in the system and his finger prints didn’t find any matches. He may as well not exist.

 

He didn’t struggle as they prompted him, remaining calm and quiet the whole time, as though confident in the knowledge that they wouldn’t find anything anyway. And so far they hadn’t, as far as you knew.

 

“Murasame Soushun has been taken into intensive care,” Kyoko answered your question. “We’ll question him once he wakes up. But the other one...”

 

“They still haven’t found anything on him?” Shuichi frowned.

 

“Hmmm...that’s a mystery even I can’t solve,” Kokichi sighed, sprawling out on his front on the sofa and kicking his legs back and forth.

 

“Hah, fuckin’ losers! My golden brains have already figured it out,” Miu boasted. “But I’m gonna let you figure it out for yourselves.”

 

“You have?” You asked in surprise.

 

“She’s just saying that,” Kokichi explained with a grin. “She doesn’t know anything. Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

 

“I don’t want to hear that from you!” Miu snapped.

 

“Haha... Well if even you guys can’t figure it out, then someone like me doesn’t stand a chance,” Nagito chuckled.

 

“Maybe Munakata knows something?” Makoto suggested.

 

“Aww man,” Kokichi exhaled dramatically. “That guy is such a pain... He always gives me a hard time.”

 

“Funny,” Kyoko answered flatly. “He says the same about you.”

 

“See? He’s so mean!” Kokichi wailed. “UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!”

 

“Shut the fuck up!” Miu yelled, smacking him around the back of the head.

 

“Alright, enough,” Jin scolded them harshly, pushing them apart.

 

“Well...there’s not much more we can do right now,” Makoto stated thoughtfully. “It’s late. Why don’t we meet back here early tomorrow and talk about what we’ve learned?”

 

“That’s likely all we can do for now,” Kyoko agreed. “But Mako...Naegi, don’t think I’ve forgotten about that paperwork. I want to done by tomorrow lunch time.”

 

“Ugh...right, sorry,” Makoto agreed, looking subdued all of a sudden.

 

“Then let’s call it a day,” Jin agreed, standing up. “Goodnight.”

 

“I’ll see your lame asses tomorrow then,” Miu agreed, placing down her tools and pushing her goggles up.

 

“Man, I’m tiiiiiired...” Kokichi yawned exaggeratedly, stretching his arms.

 

“Goodnight everyone,” Nagito added more quietly.

 

One by one the enforcers began to file out of the room. You and Shuichi stood awkwardly by the sofas, waiting for your seniors acknowledgement that you could leave.

 

But instead...

 

“Have you guys eaten yet?” Makoto asked in a friendly manner.

 

You and Shuichi shook your heads in unison.

 

“Great, then let’s go somewhere together,” he beamed. “We’re all partners now after all.”

 

“I-I’d like that!” you answered a little too quickly, before realising that nobody else had agreed yet. If it was just the two of you it would be awkward!

 

You looked pleadingly at Shuichi, who seemed to take the hint despite his discomfort and nodded, answered: “I guess...”

 

“I’m glad,” Makoto answered. “Kyoko, what about you?”

 

“I think I’ll pass,” she answered pointedly. “I have  _paperwork_  to do.”

 

She put a lot of emphasis on the word ‘paperwork’.

 

“Okay, next time then,” Makoto laughed nervously.

 

“See you tomorrow,” Kyoko answered.

 

The three of your responded in turn, and when you looked over your shoulder the last thing you saw was Kyoko seating herself down by her desk alone and starting her work.

 

******

 

You ended up going to a fairly old-fashioned, traditional place called the Hanamura Diner, which was reckoned to have some of the best food around and unlike many restaurants, still used entirely fresh materials rather than artificially grown substitutes.

 

And as such, the prices were...a little higher than you were used could to.

 

“Oh, don’t worry about paying,” Makoto told you, noticing your expression. “It’s on me. Think of it as like a welcome gift?”

 

“A-Are you sure?” you exclaimed.

 

“It’s no trouble,” he reassured you.

 

Cute and kind...too good to be true... You glanced away dizzily under the pretence of checking the menu.

 

“I-It’s too much,” Shuichi protested. “I really don’t mind paying for my food...”

 

“Seriously, don’t worry about it,” Makoto insisted.

 

As they argued about who was going to pay, you tried to focus on the menu. The three of you were sitting in a row along the barstools by the counter, with you on the left, Shuichi to the right and Makoto in the middle.

 

There was a tantalising aroma of food wafting around the room, and the sound of sizzling mingled with the contented chatter of other customers.

 

“It’s pretty unusual to see a place like this in the city,” Shuichi mentioned after a moment.

 

“Haha, right?” Makoto agreed. “I actually found it by chance when I got lost before. Got lucky, I guess.”

 

“Hello, hallo and welcome to the Hanamura diner,” a voice greeted you, and a short, chubby boy came up to take your order. “Hmhmhmm...how may I serve you? Perhaps I could whip you up something special, hm?”

 

His eyes washed over you with particular interest and you shifted uncomfortably in your seat.

 

“Knock it off, Teru,” Makoto chuckled, unbothered.

 

“Hoho, jealous are we?” Teruteru asked. “It just so happens that you are well within my strike zone.”

 

“Um...thanks?” Makoto answered sheepishly.

 

“So what can I get for you? Just the usual?” the young chef asked.

 

“Yes please,” the former nodded. “What about you guys?”

 

“I-I guess I’ll just have whatever you’re having,” Shuichi answered uncertainly.

 

“Could I get the seafood bowl?” You asked.

 

“But of course, mademoiselle,” Teruteru responder cheerfully. “Coming right up!”

 

With that he bustled off around the back to prepare your orders.

 

“He’s...quite a character,” you observed uncertainly.

 

“Don’t let it get to you,” Makoto advised good-humouredly. “He’s like that with everyone.”

 

“Ah...speaking of which, about Kokichi...” Shuichi began.

 

“Oh, that’s right. I forget that you’re new to him,” Makoto reminded himself. “He’s not a bad person, he just takes some getting used to. Just don’t take anything he says to heart and you’ll be fine. Actually, he...”

 

Makoto trailed off, hesitating.

 

“What is it?” You asked curiously.

 

But he only shook his head and answered: “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. The same goes for Miu, by the way. She can be pretty intimidating but I believe she’s really a caring person deep down.”

 

“Huh, that’s amazing...” you murmured. Noting his expression you quickly waved your hands, flustered, and explained: “I-I mean, you really do see the best in everyone, huh?”

 

“Well I guess you could say my optimism is my one redeeming feature,” Makoto joked self-deprecatingly.

 

“I’m sure you have lots of other good features too,” you protested.

 

“You think? That’s nice of you to say,” he smiled, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

 

“A-Ah, so anyway...why didn’t Kirigiri join us?” you asked curiously, changing the subject.

 

“Oh yeah...I wondered about that too,” Shuichi added.

 

“Ah... Don’t take it personally,” Makoto answered. “Kyoko always overworks herself. I keep telling her that she needs to take a break, but she doesn’t really listen. But she’s really amazing once you get to know her. You just need to give her time to open up.”

 

There was a look of affection on his face that almost made you a little envious of Kyoko. He spoke highly of her.

 

“I noticed you call Kirigiri by her first name,” Shuichi observed. “Are you two...?”

 

Your ears pricked, and you scolded yourself internally. Why did you care? You met him literally a few hours ago.

 

It took Makoto a couple of seconds to catch on. Then he gasped and his face reddened as he spluttered: “N-No, it’s not like that! We’ve known each other for a long time is all. She’s an important friend to me.”

 

So they weren’t like that... But based on his reaction, the question had surprised and flustered him, leaving you to draw your own conclusions. Well, it wasn’t like it had any impact on you anyway. It had nothing to do with you.

 

“I see... Sorry for prying,” Shuichi apologised.

 

“I-It’s fine,” Makoto answered. “Actually I get that a lot. It takes her a while to warm up to people, so they assume I’m getting special treatment, but really we’ve just known each other for a long time.”

 

That made sense. You already felt a certain amount of respect for Kyoko building in you. She seemed like the kind of person who held everything together. A sort of touch stone in times of uncertainty.

 

Just then Teruteru appeared again from around the back, somehow balancing three entire bowls in his arms, which he placed down in front of you.

 

“Order up!” he declared. “Only the finest dishes from the best chef in the country!”

 

You glanced down at the bowl in front of you, mouth watering. It looked and smelled delicious, still piping hot. All made from fresh ingredients... The fact that a place like this still existed was a marvel.

 

Shuichi was staring at the large bowl, wide-eyed. He looked intimidated by its size but impressed nonetheless.

 

Teruteru chuckled gleefully at your responses. With a wink he added: “Let me know if you need anything else!”

 

“Thanks for the food,” you gasped, both for Teruteru’s and Makoto’s sake and dove into the massive bowl of noodles.

 

It was unlike anything you had ever tasted. It was full and rich, and oozing with flavour. You could taste a multitude of different seasoning and ingredients through the food and for a moment you had to close your eyes due to the intensity of the flavour.

 

“It’sh dewishoush!” you gasped around a mouthful of food.

 

Makoto laughed lightly, enjoying his own food. Shuichi looked overwhelmed, eyes shining.

 

“How is it?” Teruteru asked the young inspector, grinning proudly.

 

“It’s okay,” Shuichi answered measuredly.

 

“But you looked so overwhelmed!” Teruteru protested in shock.

 

“I can’t remember the last time I ate food like this,” you sighed contentedly.

 

“Woah, woah, slow down and actually savour your food!” the cook exclaimed in response. “Are you even chewing!?”

 

You couldn’t help yourself. You were starving. It had been a long and extremely eventful first day and you were exhausted. Too much had happened and you needed time to process it. You wondered if every day would be this intense, and whether you would be able withstand the pressure.

 

You had met a lot of new people as well. Miu with her vulgar and argumentative yelling, the stoic Kyoko, your under-confident partner Shuichi, deceptive Kokichi, self-deprecating Nagito, the sweet and friendly Makoto and of course Jin, who was a total mystery to you.

 

And then there was also Izuru Kamukura. He was quiet and incomprehensible, somebody that shouldn’t even exist. Despite his role in the incident in the old building, the higher-ups were staying suspiciously quiet and uncooperative when it came to Izuru.

 

You had been trying to keep the things you had seen out of your mind up until now, but you began to slow slightly, doing your best not to imagine the brutalised remains of the students you had seen just earlier.

 

As the evening wore on it began to sink slowly to the back of your mind, but stayed nonetheless, never quite leaving you alone. And who could blame you? You had seen some terrible things in that building.

 

When taking your career exams, you had gotten high scores all around, leaving you with many options. And yet this was the job you had chosen. Would you really be able to stand up to the pressure?

 

You wondered if Shuichi shared your concerns. Despite his nervous nature, he seemed suited for this kind of job. You on the other hand couldn’t help but doubt your decision. That was the trouble with freedom, you supposed. No matter what you chose, you would forever live with the doubt. The thought that perhaps you made the wrong choice. That was the price you payed.

 

These thoughts stuck with you as you left the diner later in the evening, and headed back towards your small flat.

 

Like many people nowadays, it was plain and white and small in size, but easily decorated with fancy holograms to make it seem more homely and inviting.

 

It wasn’t anything special, but it was home.

 

“Activate the western style hologram,” you ordered the flat as you stepped in, and a moment later a hologram appeared over the plain white furnishings of the house and the small personalised avatar you had created appeared in front of you.

 

“Welcome home, master,” It chirped cheerily. “You have one new voice mail.”

 

“Play voicemail...” you answered, wondering who could have contacted you.

 

“Playing voicemail:  _Hi (f/n), it’s Kaede. I just wanted to congratulate you on your new job. Let me know how it goes, bye!_ ”

 

Kaede... You would have to remember to call her back at some point. The blonde girl was an old school friend of yours and you had both graduated at the same time. However, while you had chosen the less-than-easy career path with the Public Safety Bureau, Kaede had gone on to be a nursery school teacher.

 

As far as you could tell, the children and parents adored her, and you could see why. She had a bright and sunny personality and never seemed to give up. 

 

It had been a couple of weeks or so since you had last seen her, with the whirlwind of career choices and various inductions.

 

“Set a reminder to call back Kaede tomorrow evening,” you told the simulation.

 

“Very well, master! I have set a reminder at six o’clock tomorrow evening to call Kaede.”

 

“And set an alarm for seven o’clock tomorrow morning,” you added after a moment of thought, hanging up your jacket and heading into your flat.

 

“Understood. I have set an alarm for seven o’clock tomorrow morning.”

 

Tiredly you began to go about your usual evening routine, showering, brushing your teeth, combing out yourhair, changing into your pyjamas...

 

You stared at the empty glass tank in your bedroom for a couple of moments before saying: “Activate the fish tank hologram.”

 

A moment later the tank exploded into life, with dozens of little fish swarming back and forth inside the tank. They chased each other and swam around the tank, investigating the stones at the bottom and the holographic plants that swayed in the water currents.

 

Your eyelids grew heavy the moment your head hit the pillow, and you focused blearily on the colourful fish by the wall. Above the tank was a holographic window showing a simulated starry sky.

 

It wasn’t long before you grew tired of counting fish and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, just to explain, but this is probably eventually going to become a Kokichi/reader, but before that the reader is going to have moments with all characters! If you have any suggestions or characters you want to spend time with just let me know and I'll keep it in mind for later chapters. <3


	3. Toko Fukawa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another of the pre-written chapters! Sorry it took me a couple of days to upload, but it sometimes takes me a while to read over it again before uploading! I always miss a few mistakes though, so feel free to point out any typos or other errors.
> 
> Also a huge thanks to SweetSugarPeaches for taking the time to leave a comment and for bookmarking this work! I'm really grateful for your support. <3

You arrived in the office the next morning to find most of the team already inside.

 

Kyoko and Jin both sat quietly at their desks, tapping away on their computers. Saihara appeared to have started on a report, but continued to look dissatisfied with everything he wrote and deleted it again before starting over. Makoto looked half asleep at his desk, yawning as he flicked through a pile of files in front of him.

 

Kokichi was napping on his back on the sofas, an open manga lying on his face and covering his eyes.

 

Nagito had disappeared somewhere to fetch more coffee for everyone and there was no sign of Miu.

 

Makoto glanced up as you entered and sleepily greeted: “Good morning.”

 

“Morning... Am I late?” you asked anxiously, seeing as almost everybody else had already arrived.

 

“Nope, everyone else is just early,” Makoto answered. “Well, almost everyone...”

 

“Alright, which one of you shits jammed up the vending machine!?” someone snapped and the door was flung wide open. Miu strutted in, a look of annoyance on her face.

 

“Wasn’t me,” Kokichi answered, raising the manga off his face with one lazy hand. He grinned cheekily at her. “It probably saw your nasty face coming and gave up on life.”

 

“Why you little-!”

 

Miu attempted to whack him, only for Kokichi to roll deftly off the sofa and scramble away before she even got close. The manga he had been reading hit the floor with a thud as Miu went chasing after him, rampaging around the office.

 

“Here, let me show you to your desk,” Makoto offered, standing up and leading you towards the seat beside Shuichi’s. A computer had been set up and there was a mug with your name on it.

 

You thanked him profusely and took your seat, attempting to drown out Kokichi and Miu’s fighting. Shuichi had a strained expression on his face as he typed, and after a moment he sighed frustratedly and erased the entire paragraph he had just been working on. His expression told you that no amount of coffee on earth could have prepared him for this morning.

 

“Good morning,” you yawned, turning on the screen in front of you.

 

“M-Morning...” he answered in response.

 

“Are you starting the report from yesterday?” you asked, glancing over his shoulder.

 

“I’m trying, but...” Shuichi sent a glance in Kokichi’s direction.

 

When he glanced back at you, you realised awkwardly how close you were and moved back a little, patting his shoulder sympathetically.

 

The door opened again and Nagito wandered in, his arms full of soda cans. He appeared to be struggling a little with the load and looked relieved when he was able to set it down.

 

“Where did you get all those from!?” Makoto yelped, wide-eyed.

 

“Haha, that’s a funny story actually,” Nagito smiled sheepishly. “I was just walking by the vending machine when I bumped into a cleaning cart, which then ran right into it. I guess it was stuck or something because everything fell out at once.”

 

“That’s amazing,” Makoto answered, impressed.

 

“I guess I really am lucky after all,” Nagito shrugged.

 

“Does...does that kind of thing happen to you a lot?” Shuichi asked, eyeing Nagito.

 

“...occasionally,” the enforcer responded almost apologetically.

 

“Get back here, you lying little abortion!” Miu yelled furiously, sprinting back around the sofa. With horrible inevitability, you watched her slip on the manga Kokichi had discarded on the floor earlier and lose her balance, falling back on her rear while flailing desperately.

 

The manga went flying as well and wizzed right past Nagito’s ear, hitting the door behind him.

 

Kyoko’s face twitched.

 

Makoto noticed this as well and tried to diffuse the situation: “Hey, you guys should probably stop that...”

 

“He fuckin’ started it!” Miu snapped.

 

“Enough!” Kyoko shouted suddenly, with absolutely no warning at all, standing up and slamming her palms down on the table. “Kokichi, show Saihara and (l/n) to the control room. Miu, with me.”

 

“Nishishishi~! Now you’ve made her angry,” Kokichi smirked.

 

You expected Miu to get angry at that remark, but instead her personality suddenly seemed to do a 180 and tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

 

“Hieeee!” she wailed. “M-Money? Y-You want money? Please just forgive me already!”

 

Kyoko silenced her with a glare as she left the office and after a moment Miu bit her lip and rushed after her, looking like a puppy with its tail between its legs.

 

Makoto sighed and scratched his cheek with a finger. “I guess we still have a long way to go after all.”

 

“No faaaiiiir, why do I have to give them a tour of this boring place?” Kokichi complained. “Ahahaha, just kidding! Anything to see my beloved Toko!”

 

“Who’s Toko?” you asked, turning to Nagito who happened to be standing nearby.

 

“Oh, her? She works in the control room,” Nagito explained softly. “She may not seem like it, but she’s actually very good at what she does.”

 

“What does she do exactly?” Shuichi questioned curiously.

 

“Hmm... Well it’s probably easier if I just show you,” Nagito responded. “Kokichi, if you could...”

 

“But of cooooouuurse!” the other enforcer cheered with a wide grin. “As your fearless leader, I order you to all follow me!”

 

“Wasn’t that Kirigiri’s order?” Shuichi objected, as the four of you began to file out of the room.

 

“Nishishishi~! Shuichi, Shuichi, you should know better than to question the words of your supreme leader!” came the cheerful response. “But you’re new so I guess I’ll overlook it this time.”

 

The hallway was wide and brightly lit, with the occasional drone running back and forth. Various departments were working together in their offices and you wondered if any of them ever got as rowdy as it seemed in your office.

 

Kokichi confused you almost more than anyone else. You couldn’t get a sense of his actual personality or what he was thinking at all. You watched him as he walked along in front, taking playfully large steps as he did. He joked and messed around, but surely he must do something to contribute to the team, or he wouldn’t be here.

 

You had seen him work just yesterday with the other enforcers, and certainly he had good instincts and kept his wits about him. But right now he was slacking off again.

 

“We all have our own ways of contributing,” Nagito said quietly. You snapped out of your thoughts to find him walking alongside you. “Even someone like me.”

 

“Huh? How did you...?” You trailed off, confused. It was like he had read your mind.

 

“Oh, I was just thinking out loud,” he responded dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

You somehow doubted that, but didn’t ask. The thought was probably written all over your face, as you watched Kokichi take the lead.

 

“Hey, hey, does Inspector (l/n) like me thaaaaat much?” Kokichi asked suddenly. “Look at you! You can’t take your eyes off me!”

 

“H-Hey, that’s not...ugh...” You tried to protest, averting your gaze down to your feet. How did he alway seem to know what you were doing, even when he wasn’t looking?

 

“Well, I can’t blame you! It’s only natural for you to look up to someone as amazing as me!” Kokichi boasted, grinning broadly. “Nishishishi~! Juuust kidding! Nobody would look up to me!”

 

“But that’s not true, is it?” Nagito put in. “You’re doing this  _because_   **those guys**  look up to you so much...”

 

“Oh, but it’s not just those guys!” the smaller enforcer responded. “My secret organisation is over a thousand members strong! You should think about joining after we get out of here. If you do, all the food, sleep, money and sex you want will be given right to you!”

 

“...”

 

Shuichi frowned and turned his attention away from Kokichi. He appeared by struggling to handle the enforcers behaviour as well.

 

“Aww look, we’re here!” Kokichi declared, stopping so suddenly that Shuichi walked right into his back. You in turn bumped into Shuichi.

 

Kokichi took a step away as the two of you awkwardly separated and tilted his head, asking: “Hey, are you guys stupid or something?”

 

“...”

 

Nagito walked over the door you had stopped at and knocked softly on it, smiling away to himself.

 

“Wh-Who’s there?” a suspicious female voice stammered from inside. “M-Master Byakuya...?”

 

“Byakuya?” you asked. That name sounded familiar. Shuichi only shrugged.

 

“Ahahah, sorry but it’s just me, Nagito,” the pale boy called back through. “Sorry to disappoint you...”

 

There was a long pause before the door cracked open a fraction, revealing a bespectacled girl with long dark hair, which was tied back in twin braids. She bit her lip when you saw the four of you standing outside and hesitated. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously when they passed over Kokichi.

 

Then she asked: “Wh-What do you want?”

 

“Haha... Kirigiri sent us,” Nagito explained. “I figured you’d know what it was about.”

 

“O-Oh, d-don’t tell me... You guys are here about the incident y-yesterday,” the bespectacled girl muttered. “Wh-Whatever, just come in. A-And don’t touch anything!”

 

She glared fiercely at Kokichi as she said this, who only shrugged and grinned: “No promises!”

 

Toko moved irritably away from the door, allowing the four of you to step inside the dark room. It only appeared to be lit by a large holographic screen at the front of the room which had various windows open with different areas of the Bureau streaming live into them from the security cameras.

 

Your eye caught one of them showing the medical facility, inside one of the on-site hospital rooms. Soushun was lying in one of the wire-frame medical beds, eyes closed, hooked up to various machines including a heart monitor, which beeped away steadily to itself. There was no sign of Izuru anywhere.

 

“Are you Toko?” you asked the girl who had opened the door for you.

 

“Th-That’s right... N-Not that you’ll remember it anyway, but I’m T-Toko...Toko Fukawa,” she answered with a scowl.

 

“And I’m Alter Ego!” a second, more cheerful voice piped up.

 

A second later a large digital, disembodied head appeared floating on-screen. It was a rather androgynous girl, with short spiky hair and bright green eyes, which glowed with a digital hue.

 

“Alter ego?” Shuichi repeated, taken aback.

 

“Are you surprised?” Alter Ego smiled brightly. “I help Miss Toko around the system. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, master!”

 

Alter Ego... You had heard about this kind of thing before. A kind of learning, digital artificial intelligence, originally programmed by the well-known programmer Chihiro Fujisaki. Chihiro was a kind of Internet celebrity as far as you could tell, with legions of online fans dedicated to her work. This Alter Ego was obviously programmed to look like her.

 

You turned your attention to Toko, who was playing uncomfortably with her fingers and staring off into one of the darkest corners of the room, obviously not in the mood to talk.

 

You were surprised by her, you had to admit. It was hard to believe this girl was a latent criminal. She was shy and withdrawn, but certainly didn’t seem dangerous.

 

“Stop staring at me like I’m some filthy creature!” she snarled suddenly, pointing accusingly at you.

 

“H-Huh? N-No, that’s not what I meant,” you exclaimed, shocked.

 

“Wh-Whatever, I’m used to it,” Toko muttered. “Hey, I t-told you not to touch anything!”

 

She slapped a file out of Kokichi’s hands and snatched it back, leaving Kokichi with an exaggerated childish pout on his face.

 

“So anyway, you want to know about the survivors, right?” Alter Ego asked.

 

“J-Just get on with it...” Toko muttered.

 

“Coming right up! Now opening the file on Soushun Murasame,” the computer responded and began loading up a report of the boy’s vitals and background, as well as the circumstances of his admission.

 

“Huh? What about the other one?” You asked. “Izuru...Izuru Kamukura...?”

 

“I have found 308 files regarding Izuru Kamukura,” Alter Ego responded. “However all of them predate yesterday and are therefore not relevant. Besides, most of these files are inaccessible to me.”

 

They predated yesterday? Inaccessible...? What did that mean? That would hint that this Izuru Kamukura was known to the Bureau. And yet he didn't even have a psycho pass reading. On top of that, you were certain you had been told that Izuru was completely off the grid. So why did the Public Safety Bureau have files on him?

 

“Wh-What do you mean ‘inaccessible’?” Toko frowned. “A-Aren’t you connected to the c-central network?”

 

“Well...they appear to be encrypted in a way not even I can understand,” Alter Ego continued. “It’s like I’m being forcibly kept out. Oh, but don’t worry! It’s not that unusual. There are certain files that only the directors have access to.”

 

“Izuru...Kamukura... Why does that name sound so familiar?” Shuichi asked, so quietly that it almost seemed he was talking to himself.

 

“Oh, you don’t know?” the AI answered him anyway. “Izuru Kamukura was one of the founding members of the Sybil System. He personally implemented it on the country as it was before the way we now know it. But that was over 50 years ago, so I assumed it wasn’t relevant. There is actually a bronze statue just outside the Public Safety Bureau commemorating him and his life’s work.”

 

“Yaaaawn... Enough with the history lesson,” Kokichi groaned. “Sounds to me like the board of directors is hiding something. Buuuut I guess that’s none of my business. More importantly, shouldn’t we be asking why there isn’t any info on the Izuru we saw yesterday? That’s, like, toootally weird.”

 

“What about transfers to and from the medical ward?” Nagito asked thoughtfully. “Did you check those?” 

 

“Oh, that’s right,” you remembered. “If he was admitted yesterday, then...”

 

“Hmm... Well, it looks like four people were admitted yesterday,” Alter Ego said thoughtfully, bringing up the relevant folder. “And one transfer.”

 

“Can you get any specifics?” Shuichi asked.

 

“Um, well... You know how medical files usually have details in them? Like name, height, date of birth, blood type and so on?” the computer asked.

 

“Wh-What about it?” Toko prompted impatiently.

 

“Well, this file doesn’t have anything like that,” Alter Ego explained, bringing up the blank file on the screen. “It just says ‘patient unknown’.”

 

“P-Patient unknown?” the bespectacled girl repeated in genuine surprise. “But that’s impossible...”

 

For a second, everyone went quiet, contemplating this new piece of information. The lack of information on the mysterious boy you had found yesterday absolutely reeked of a cover up of some kind. Perhaps there was a good reason for that... But why the sudden transfer? Why hadn’t they given a name? With the kind of surveillance they had today, how was it possible to have an unknown patient? At the very least, he had given a name.

 

“The security feed from the medical ward,” Shuichi prompted. “Between the time of admission and the time of the transfer.”

 

“I, um... I’m very sorry,” the AI responded after a couple of seconds.

 

“What happened?” Shuichi pressed.

 

“Well, it’s...it’s impossible,” Alter Ego continued. “I can’t show you those files because...they no longer exist. I’m very sorry. This is...the first time anything like this has happened.”

 

Alter Ego glanced guiltily downwards, looking visibly depressed. You had to remind yourself for a moment that she was just a program, rather than a living being.

 

“S-Seriously?” Toko stammered.

 

“Geez, what a lousy cover up,” Kokichi complained. “I could have done waaaaay better!”

 

“Maybe they didn’t expect anyone to go looking,” you suggested. “There’s gotta be a good reason for this.”

 

“Perhaps we should pay Mikan a visit?” Nagito asked.

 

“Mikan?” Shuichi repeated.

 

“Oh, I forget you haven’t met her yet,” Nagito remembered. “She’s a nurse down in the medical ward. If we ask her nicely she might be able to help us.”

 

“We should probably also report back to Kirigiri or Naegi about what we’ve learned,” you added.

 

“I don’t mind doing that,” Nagito offered. “I wouldn’t be much help down there anyway.”

 

“Then I’ll come with you,” Shuichi decided. “(L/n), could you...?”

 

“Sure, leave it to me,” you nodded. “Um, Kokichi...?”

 

“Let me guess, you want me to come with?” Kokichi beamed. “Wow, you must really love me!”

 

“...”

 

Shuichi shot you a sympathetic glance, but didn’t offer to swap places. You supposed you would have to get used to dealing with Kokichi sooner or later...

 

“Nishishi, just kidding! Nobody could love somebody like me!” Kokichi added cheerily. “So, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

 

The four of you said hasty goodbyes to Toko and Alter Ego and left the control room with Shuichi and Nagito heading hack towards the office and you and Kokichi towards the elevator.

 

Kokichi quickly grew bored in the thirty seconds it took for the elevator car to reach your floor and entertained himself by pushing the button over and over as though it would make the process go faster. After a couple of moments he then called all of the other elevators down as well.

 

Your thoughts kept drifting back to Izuru on your way down to the second floor where the medical ward was. Who was he? Where had he come from? Why did he share a name with the founder of the system? And most importantly, why didn’t he have a psycho pass?

 

The medical ward was in the west wing of the building and several floors down from your new work place. You probably would have gotten there faster if Kokichi hadn’t insisted on playing hide and seek on the way. You wouldn’t have gone along with it, had Kokichi not run off without warning, leaving you searching desperately for him, trying to make sure he didn’t cause any trouble.

 

When you finally arrived at the medical ward, you had to ask the receptionist about Mikan’s whereabouts, and were pointed in the direction of one of the consultation rooms.

 

Like all hospitals, this wing of the building felt sterile and bleak somehow, with faded white walls, covered with prints of various famous paintings, a futile attempt to make the place seem less bare. It smelled of disinfectant and chemicals and the worn floors were a kind of grey-blue colour. Basically the same as any hospital, except that it was associated with the Public Safety Bureau.

 

Kokichi wrinkled his nose and made a few inappropriate jokes as you walked, but you were too focus on finding the right room to pay him that much attention.

 

When he realised this however, he began to make more strenuous attempts to get your attention.

 

“Heeeeeeeeey, inspectooooor! (F/n), (f/n), I’m gonna keep repeating your name until you pay attention to me! (F/n)!”

 

“26, 27, 28...” you counted the room numbers, trying to ignore him. “Oh, there is is. 32.”

 

“(F/n)! (F/n)! (Ffffff/nnnn)!”

 

“What is it?” You asked regretfully, not really wanting to hear the answer.

 

“Nothing, I just wanted to make sure you don’t forget about me!”

 

“No chance of that...” you pointed out.

 

“Nishishi... I guess it’s working then!”

 

“...”

 

The two of you paused outside of the room and you lifted your hand to knock.

 

The moment you did, there was a yelp inside, followed by the sound of something crashing to the ground and pitiful wailing.

 

Startled and slightly concerned, you knocked again, asking: “Hey, are you okay in there?”

 

“Hiiiieeee! I’m sorry! Please forgive meeeee!” came the high-pitched, panicked response. There was a desperate scrambling sound.

 

“What should we do?” You asked, turning to Kokichi for help.

 

He shrugged. “Why don’t you open the door and find out?”

 

Well, considering the ruckus in there... Cautiously you grabbed hold of the doorknob, and twisted it, pushing open the wooden door.

 

At first you were concerned about the possibility of danger, but this was dispelled as soon as you opened to door. Inside you found a young woman in a nurses uniform was sprawled suggestively out on the floor, tangled up in the wires from some of the medical equipment as she struggled and called for help. Her skirt was pushed up, revealing white undergarments and she was flailing desperately in an attempt to grab something to help her pull herself up.

 

You gaped at her for a second, frozen by the door. Kokichi ducked under your arm and into the room when you paused and sighed.

 

“Jeez, aren’t you gonna get up already? Nobody wants to see something like that,” he scolded, eyes narrowing in mock disappointment.

 

“H-Hey, are you you alright?” you exclaimed, snapping out of your trance and running over to help her up off the floor.

 

“Ugh...uuuuuh... I’m really sorry! Please forgive me!” the nurse sobbed as you helped her into a sitting position and began to untangle the cords from her legs.

 

“Hahahaha! You never learn, do you?” Kokichi beamed, throwing his hands behind his head. “Girl, you’re so clumsy!”

 

“Uuuuuhh...ngh... I’m really...really sorry...” she whimpered, rubbing her eyes. “Please forgive me already...”

 

“What? Why are you apologising?” you asked, confused.

 

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t,” Kokichi told the nurse. “Buuuut there is something you could do for us.”

 

“Eek! I-I’ll tell you anything you n-need to know! Just please don’t hurt me!” she pleaded, looking at you with teary eyes. She had obviously pegged you as the more sympathetic one.

 

“Enough, Kokichi, you’re making it worse,” you scolded the boy, trying to look stern.

 

“Nishishi! That expression doesn’t suit you at all, (f/n)!” he responded, unconcerned. “But whatever! Have it your way.”

 

You sighed and turned to the girl beside you, helping her back to her feet. “Um, you’re Mikan, right?”

 

“H-Huh...? You...you know who I am?” She stammered.

 

“Nagito said you might be able to help us with something,” you explained. “Ah... I’m (f/n) by the way. (F/n) (l/n).”

 

“Iiiiieeee, forgive me! Forgive me for being so...presumptuous!” the nurse squeaked fearfully.

 

“It’s fine... You’re allowed to ask questions,” you pointed out.

 

“I-I am? Ah, thank you! Thank you!” Mikan sniffled. “Nobody has ever said that to me before!“

 

You were beginning to feel tired already. This conversation felt like it was going nowhere. Maybe Kokichi’s way would have been faster after all, but you weren't willing so be so cold towards someone who was already upset.

 

“S-So then...if you don’t mind me asking,” Mikan began shyly after a couple of moments. “What did you want to talk about? F-Forgive me for asking...”

 

“Ah, well... Do you remember anything about the patient who was transferred yesterday?” you asked.

 

Mikan’s eyes widened and she glanced away at the floor, falling silent.

 

“...Mikan?” you prompted.

 

“Y-Yes, sorry,” She stammered wearily, flinching. “That patient, he...um... How do I put this...?”

 

“Ohhh? Could it be there’s something you’re not telling us?” Kokichi asked. “Lying is bad you know! I hate liars!”

 

“Hiiiiee! I’m sorry!” Mikan squeaked, breaking into tears again. “Please forgive me...!”

 

“That was a lie too, wasn’t it?” You frowned at Kokichi.

 

“Well, who can say?” he asked.

 

“Mikan, I promise that whatever it is, you won’t get in trouble,” you continued, turning back to the timid girl. “His psycho pass was missing a reading, right? Could it be that you were ordered to keep quiet about that?”

 

“S-So you already know,” Mikan stammered. “...yes, it’s...it’s true. W-We’re not supposed to talk about it, b-but...he...he did give a name. Something like Kama...Kamu...?”

 

“Kamukura?” You asked.

 

Mikan nodded frantically. “Y-Yes! That’s the one! That’s exactly it! H-How did you know?”

 

“Mikan,” you said seriously, placing a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and began to blush.

 

“Y-Yes?”

 

“Do you remember anything else? Anything at all?” You asked. “It could be important, no matter how small it seems.”

 

“Right? Cause size doesn’t matter!” Kokichi chirped.

 

“Says you,” you pointed out.

 

“Hey, I’m not short, I’m fun-sized,” he shrugged in response.

 

“Heh heh, hehehehe...!” came a soft giggle and you turned to look at Mikan in surprise.

 

Noticing your glance, she immediately tensed up and began to babble: “Ah! I-I’m sorry for laughing so suddenly! Y-You guys just get on so well and I...I couldn’t help it...”

 

“It’s fine,” you assured her. “Don’t worry about it. But if there’s anything else you can tell us...”

 

“Th-That’s right! W-Well...his vitals all appeared normal...” Mikan responded thoughtfully. “Ah...But there was one thing.”

 

“What is it?” You prodded.

 

“W-Well...he had a...a visitor,” Mikan explained anxiously. “A-And then not long after he got t-transferred.”

 

“A visitor?” You asked in surprise. “Did they give a name?”

 

“N-No, but...I think...I think it was a member of the B-Board of Directors,” Mikan remembered.

 

“The Board of Directors...? Did he mention what he wanted at all?” you questioned her, confused.

 

“N-No... Just that he wanted to speak with the patient in private,” was her answer. “And then later when I went back to check on the patient...the room was empty.”

 

You exchanged a glance with Kokichi.

 

There was something going on below the surface here.

 

Just what was it?


	4. The Ultimate Therapist

Kyoko tapped her fingers irritably against the desk in front of her as she swallowed the information you had given her. She was clearly dissatisfied with the lack of further information, but sadly it seemed there wasn’t much more you could do.  
  
Izuru Kamukura has disappeared without a trace, leaving no clue behind as to his whereabouts.  
  
Weirdly, it also seemed the higher-ups had something to do with this disappearance, but were keeping it quiet, which meant it was out of your hands.  
  
It did mean you had lost a witness however. You supposed you would just have to wait for the other one to wake up. He had apparently suffered a head wound of some kind and hadn’t opened his eyes once since you had brought him in.  
  
In the meantime there wasn’t much you could do besides write up your reports of the events. Strangely though, according to Kyoko, you had been collectively ordered to keep any mention of Izuru out of these reports. This was apparently to avoid any spreading of panic, but it just made the whole situation seem stranger.  
  
“I wonder what the Board of Directors is doing all the way down here?” Makoto wondered aloud.  
  
“...it is unusual for them to interfere with something like this,” Kyoko agreed.  
  
The two of them seemed more bothered about it than you did for some reason. It was out of your hands now, right? You were certain the Directors were acting with good reason, and it was out of your hands now. You had to trust in the system.  
  
Perhaps it was because you hadn’t been around as long and weren’t used to the way things were usually run, except Shuichi seemed bothered about it as well. He was obviously curious. You had already pinned him as the type who hated being kept in the dark about something, but you doubted there was much point in thinking about it any more. What could you do about it anyway?  
  
Instead you threw your efforts into writing your report of yesterday’s events, decided it was best to get it off your mind while it was still fresh. Maybe writing it down would get the unpleasant memories out of your head.  
  
Jin and Kokichi finished up early and left the office to do whatever it was they did in their free time. Compared you yesterday it was a pleasantly slow and easy day.  
  
Eventually, with nothing else to do, Kyoko dismissed everyone early, as soon as your reports were sent off. She and Makoto then disappeared off somewhere, apparently off to talk to one of the other branches about the occurrence.  
  
“Maybe Byakuya knows something about it?” Makoto had suggested, to which Kyoko had reluctantly agreed.  
  
You and Shuichi decided to head outside to get a late lunch somewhere together, as it was only early afternoon.  
  
Compared to yesterday, the sky was bright and blue, with the sunshine warm on your faces. Shuichi pulled his cap further down over his eyes as you walked. You had noticed that he seemed like prefer avoiding eye contact, which didn’t really bother you. He seemed like the under-confident type.  
  
In the end you suggested a nearby coffee shop which also sold panini, sandwiches and soup, and with no objections, you headed there.  
  
Shuichi was fairly quiet throughout, leaving you to lead most of the rather one-sided conversation. Shuichi didn’t seem to mind, instead grateful that he didn’t have to do the talking.  
  
“Hey Shuichi?” You asked eventually.  
  
“Ah... What is it, (l/n)?”  
  
“Is something troubling you?” you asked. “I mean, you can talk to me. We’re partners now, right?”  
  
“A-Ah, well...I just... Doesn’t it seem strange to you?” he asked. “A witness just disappearing like that.”  
  
“It is weird,” you agreed. “But there isn’t anything we can do about that now, so we might as well focus on what we can do. Just trust in the Sybil system to do the right thing, y’know?”  
  
“I-I guess you’re right...” Shuichi agreed, though he didn’t sound fully convinced.  
  
“Maybe we just need to take our mind off it,” you suggested. “We’re on a break anyway, right? Let’s talk about something else.”  
  
“Huh? Like what?” Shuichi wondered.   
  
“Um, like...watch any TV recently?” you tried.  
  
“Well, I...actually prefer books,” Shuichi answered hesitantly. “Ah, but that’s pretty old fashioned, right?”  
  
“Okay, then what kind of books do you like?” you tried again.  
  
“Um... Crime, I guess?” Shuichi responded sheepishly. “That sounds pretty weird, I know...”  
  
“Not at all,” you attempted to reassure him. “I think it’s amazing you can concentrate on something like that.”  
  
“A-Ah...thank you...” he responded uncertainly, pulling his cap over his eyes and glancing away.  
  
Just then the waitress returned, placing your orders in front of you with a sweet smile. She asked the both of you if there was anything else you wanted, to which you politely declined. With a nod, she left again, and you began to dig into your food.  
  
“Y’know, Shuichi, you seem like someone who really dives right into the deep-end of their work,” you observed as you ate. “That’s pretty impressive.”  
  
“Y-You really think so?” he asked. “Thank you...”  
  
“So have you always been interested in this kind of work?” You asked, hoping he might open up a little.  
  
“Ah, well... Actually I used to help my uncle out with his detective agency,” Shuichi responded. “I guess that’s how it started and I just kind of stuck with it. And it was also a thanks for taking care of me.”  
  
“For taking care of you?” you repeated, curiously.  
  
“Ah, well... When I was younger, I lived with my Uncle and his wife,” Shuichi elaborated.  
  
“Oh, I see... Sorry for prying,” you apologised quickly, hoping you hadn’t hit a nerve.  
  
“Ah, no, there’s not a sad story behind it or anything,” he assured you. “My parents went overseas for business.”  
  
“I see... That’s pretty unusual. Then, what do your parents do?”  
  
“Ah, one’s an actor and the other’s a screenwriter,” Shuichi responded, to your surprise.  
  
“A-An actor!?” you exclaimed. “And a screenwriter? That’s amazing...!”  
  
“Well, for me, they’re just a mum and dad with a...hands-off approach to parenting,” Shuichi smiled bitterly. “So I don’t really see them as celebrities or anything...”  
  
“I see...” you murmured sympathetically. “That sounds...complicated.”  
  
“What about you, (l/n)?” Shuichi asked, changing the subject. “Why did you get into this kind of work?”  
  
“Oh... Funny story, actually,” you smiled uncertainly. “When I took the career aptitude exams, I...um...”  
  
You weren’t sure how exactly to say it without sounding like you were boasting. The truth of the matter was that you had gotten straight As in almost every area.  
  
“I guess I ended up with a lot of options available to me,” you explained. “I chose this line of work, because, well...I wanted to help people, I guess. I just hope I made the right choice.”  
  
“I see... That’s pretty impressive,” Shuichi complimented. “It’s just like...before, when everyone was free to choose.”  
  
He must be talking about the times before the Sybil System you realised. Back on the olden days, when everyone was free to chose their own career path. You supposed it was a little like that, except you weren’t sure it was for the better. With free choice came more doubt. Had you chosen the right path? Were you truly good enough?  
  
“...(l/n)?” Shuichi’s voice broke you out of your thoughts.  
  
“...ah! Sorry!” You gasped apologetically. “What were you saying?”  
  
“Ah, no... It’s just, you look worried. Is everything okay?” he explained.  
  
Oh, right... Had the worry on your face really been that obvious? Maybe you were more transparent than you thought.  
  
“Well...it’s just... Shuichi, answer honestly, do you think I’m cut out for this job?” you asked nervously, almost a little afraid to hear the answer.  
  
“Eh? What do you mean?” he asked uncomfortably.  
  
“I mean...I’m not as experienced or as smart as you are,” you answered honestly. “And yesterday...I wasn’t able to do anything by myself. I couldn’t save anyone. Maybe I’m just not right for it.”  
  
“Ah...um...”  
  
“...sorry,” you smiled sheepishly. “This probably all sounds pretty weird coming from someone you met yesterday.”  
  
“That’s not it,” Shuichi denied quickly. “I don’t think you need to worry... You chose this job so you could help people, right?”  
  
“Huh? Y-Yeah, I guess I did,” you agreed, a little taken aback by his question.  
  
“I think that’s admirable of you,” he continued. “Besides, you have other good qualities that I don’t have...ah, for example, you’re confident and you’re good at making decisions under pressure.”  
  
“You really think so?” you asked, surprised. You had to admit that it was rather flattering hearing those words from him.  
  
“I really do,” Shuichi responded, offering a small smile.  
  
Thinking back, it was probably the first time you had seen him smile since meeting him for the first time. He had delicate, almost feminine features and the smile, however slight, seemed to brighten up his face. You hadn’t really thought about it at length before, but it was a handsome face. It was almost a shame that he preferred to keep it hidden under his cap.  
  
“I guess that’s why we’re partners,” you agreed after a moment, smiling back at him. “We both have different things we’re good at, which makes us the perfect team. Thanks, Shuichi. I needed that.”  
  
“I didn’t really do anything...” he answered bashfully.  
  
The conversation became more relaxed from then on, as the two of you chatted about various things, varying from Shuichi’s favourite novel to your interest in tropical fish. Shuichi seemed both surprised and mildly amused by the latter. You supposed it was kind of a weird hobby.  
  
You parted at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, by which you could tell Shuichi was feeling rather drained. While he seemed to have grown more accustomed to you by this point, he still seemed to grow tired of socialising after a while. It had been the first proper day in your new job after all.  
  
You headed back to your apartment on the subway, which was crowded with school children. It reminded you of your promise to call Kaede.  
  
Of course, it was still early in the afternoon. She would probably still be at her work in the nursery school for a while longer. In which case you supposed you still had a few hours to kill.  
  
You decided to make a last minute detour and swapped over to another line at the next stop, heading towards the medical centre.  
  
Unlike most of the city the medical centre was situated in the middle of a large green lawn, a fairly old building, with an artificial lake and various fountains complete with water holograms that sparkled in the sunshine. A gentle breeze stirred the grass as you walked down the brick path around the edge. It was a nice temporary relief from the heat.  
  
You were looking for someone in particular, and had a good idea of where she might be but you allowed yourself to relax and enjoy the sunshine as you walked and stopped to look at the flowers as you passed them. You were in no rush after all.  
  
You could see a bandstand a couple of yards away, casting shade over the person inside and coming steadily closer with every step you took.  
  
The girl sitting in the shade of the stand by the lake had her face illuminated by a computer screen in front of her and you could make out her pale features and red scarf and you approached. She was relaxed into her wheelchair and typed on the keyboard in front of her with practised speed.  
  
She was too focused on her work to even notice you until you stepped under the roof and greeted her.  
  
“Hey Miaya,” you smiled affectionately.  
  
For a second she stiffened slightly, before turning to look at you and relaxing. While there was little change in her expressions, you swore you noticed the hint of a smile curling up the corners of her mouth before she buried the lower half of her face in the scarf around her neck.  
  
“Hewwo, hewwo!” Her bunny avatar, Usami, greeted you cheerfully with an enthusiastic hop, appearing out of thin air and floating around Miaya’s head. “I’m so gwad to see you again!”  
  
“I came to see you last week,” you chuckled, reaching out to pet the girl’s head. At first she instinctively flinched away but after a moment she sighed lightly and allowed you to gently pat her hair.  
  
“It’s gets bowing here wivout you,” Usami responded, crossing her arms with a pout.  
  
While it was strange to say, for all the years you had known Miaya, you could count the number of times she had spoken aloud on the fingers of one hand. She was painfully shy in person and tended to prefer talking through her avatar Usami, a white bunny plush made to resemble a magical girl.  
  
The Usami hologram looked at you for a moment before giggling and flying playfully around you in a circle once.  
  
“Teww me, how was the fiwst day of your job?” she asked. “Did you make any fwiends?”  
  
“Ah, well... I met my partner, Shuichi,” you related, pulling over a chair and sitting down beside the girl. “He’s kind of shy, but he’s an amazing person. I ate lunch with him today.”  
  
“That’s nice to hear!” Usami beamed. “What about the others? Teww me about them!”  
“Ah, I guess I met a lot of new people,” you responded sheepishly, glancing across the lake in front of you. “I wonder where to start...”  
  
On the other shore you could just make out two pure white swans in the water, but they were too far away for you to tell if they were real or mere holograms.  
  
“Teww me anything! I wanna hear about your day!” Miaya’s avatar insisted. “What’s your boss like?”  
  
It was normal for Miaya to be interested in your day like this. She was a psychologist after all, and enjoyed hearing your thoughts. Occasionally it did feel a little like she was trying to analyse you, but that was something you had gotten used to. She had been like that since you were both very young, for as long as you could remember. She liked to think about things and observe, while you were always the more outgoing one.  
  
“Ah, well they’re not my bosses exactly,” you grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of your neck. “They’re more like my seniors I guess. One of them is a woman called Kirigiri. She seems kind of cold, but she’s also really thoughtful I think. Naegi - um, my other coworker - says that I just need to get to know her better. In that sense, she’s a little like you.”  
  
Usami pouted slightly in response to your teasing. Miaya continued to tap away at her laptop, presumably controlling the hologram.  
  
“The other one...Naegi...seems really sweet,” you continued, rubbing your cheek with a finger and smiling. “He took us out for dinner yesterday. He really sees the best in everyone! That’s something you guys have in common, too.”  
  
“Hawawawa!?” Usami exclaimed, waving her paws up and down in a flustered state. “What’s with that expwession? You’re totally blushing! Don’t tell me you-!”  
  
“It’s not like that,” you protested, nudging Miaya’s with your elbow. “He just seems nice, is all... Plus, he and Kirigiri are pretty close.”  
  
“Does that bother you?” Usami asked cheekily.  
  
“Of course not,” you grinned, for your own benefit as much as hers. “I only met him yesterday.”  
  
“Alwight, whatever you say, (f/n),” the avatar answered. “But remember, I’m your friend so you can’t hide anything fwom me!”  
  
“I know already,” you grumbled in response.  
  
“What about the others?” came the next question. “Teww me everything!”  
  
“Okay fine, but you’ve got to promise me you’ll tell me about your day too,” you negotiated.  
  
“It’s a pwomise!”  
  
“Then in that case... You know about the enforcers, right?” you checked.  
  
This time Miaya nodded her head, rather than responding through Usami.  
  
“Honestly, they all seem pretty strange to me,” you continued, shaking your head slightly. “I mean, there’s Jin Kirigiri who actually seems kind of normal, but the others... I can’t really understand Nagito’s thinking at all and he seems a little unreliable, but I think I’ll be able to get along with him.”  
  
“That’s gweat,” Usami commented.  
  
“Then there’s Miu... She’s really rude and yells a lot, but she also has a sensitive side,” you recounted. “I think I’ll be able to rely on her even if we can’t understand each other.”  
  
“She sounds like a vewy insecure person...” Usami agreed. “Do your best to be patient with her and she’ll definitely come to open up!”  
  
“And then...” you trailed off, unsure how to put your next sentence. “Kokichi...he... I can’t understand him at all. He acts like a kid and keeps trying to trick me. He also seems pretty lazy and always lies about stuff. I feel like he’s hiding something from me all the time... Naegi said I’ll get used to him eventually, but I don’t know what to do until then. Have you got any advice?”  
  
“Hmm... Well if Naegi says you will able to work together, I believe you should twust in those words,” the rabbit avatar advised. “Maybe Kokichi just can’t bwing himself to be honest with you. You shouldn’t wowwy too much, there is a twick to understanding everyone. Love love!”  
  
You sighed. “You’re amazing Miaya. You really have an answer to everything.”  
  
“But of course!” Usami exclaimed proudly, putting her paws on her hips. “Who do you think I am?”  
  
“They don’t call you the Ultimate Therapist for nothing,” you grinned, remembering Miaya’s old nickname in middle school. People always come to her for advice back then, which you supposed led her to become more interested in psychology.  
  
You spent the next hour or so sitting in the shade of the bandstand, chatting to Miaya about your jobs. She cracked a smile every now then when you told her about Kokichi or Miu’s antics and she in turn told you some funny stories about her own workplace. You were relieved to see that she was settling down well and getting along with a coworkers. Due to her shy nature you had a tendency to worry about her and had looked out for her all throughout your school years.  
  
You laughed quite a bit when she told you how just the other day she had accidentally watered the artificial plants in the office, having mistaken them for real ones, until one of her coworkers had noticed her and explained her mistake.  
  
Usami glared playfully at you as you giggled, her cheeks puffed out, but the real Miaya had the hint of a smile buried in her scarf. It really was nice to see her again.  
  
It was almost five by the time you eventually said goodbye, Maya waving at you from the entrance of the medical centre as you headed back towards the subway station.  
  
There was quite an array of commuters on the subway cars this time, coming home from work, but luckily someone kindly offered you his seat, so you were able to rest a little as you travelled.  
  
“Thank you, that’s really kind,” you told him, glancing up to see a pair of pale green eyes and dyed hair.  
  
He was wearing several piercings and fashionable clothes, and had a noticeably attractive face that made it a little difficult for you to look at him directly.  
  
“No worries,” he smiled sweetly and grabbed onto the pole by the door so as not to be jolted off his feet should the car come to a sudden stop.  
  
On closer inspection you noticed that he was still wearing a name tag from whatever work he did.  
  
‘Amami,’ it read.  
  
Well, you doubted you would see him again anyway, so you tried to brush it off, just grateful that you had somewhere to sit.  
  
You arrived at your station a little later at around 5:30 and took another ten minutes to walk back the rest of the way to your flat.  
  
The hologram turned on automatically when you stepped in and your avatar popped up in front of you, reminded you to call Kaede in twenty minutes.  
  
“I got it, you can turn off the alarm now,” you responded, slipping off your shoes. “Activate the fish tank hologram, please.”  
  
“Right away.”  
  
You headed straight for the bedroom area and flopped onto your back on the bed, turning your head to see the fish tank. The fish swam calmly back and forth in their colourful tank, occasionally chasing one another or investigating the surface.  
  
Had there been more time you might have entered the CommuFields, but there wasn’t much point. The CommuFields were a kind of live forum in which you could interact with and talk to other users in a simulated environment. You could jump between CommuFields and even host your own servers, though you spent the majority of your time in Miaya’s CommuField, relaxing and just enjoying the scenery and bustle around you.  
  
Instead however you rolled over onto your front and brought a screen up in front of your face.  
  
“Call Kaede,” you ordered, and paused.  
  
“Now calling Kaede Akamatsu...” the system announced and something similar to a dial tone could be heard.  
  
After a couple of seconds the girl on the other end picked up and her face appeared on the screen. Like usual, she was an absolute ray of sunshine.  
  
“(F/n), hallo! Hey, how are you doing? How was your first day? Did anything happen?” She immediately bombarded you.  
  
“Jeez, one thing at a time,” you chuckled in amusement. “It was okay. Kind of...eventful, but okay. I also met my partner.”  
  
“Really? That’s great! What’re they like?”  
  
“He’s actually kinda shy,” you answered. “But he seems like a hard worker.”  
  
“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Kaede beamed. “So what exactly does an Inspector do? Do you wear a cap, smoke a pipe, and use a magnifying glass to investigate crime scenes? Do you say stuff like ‘Indeed, most intriguing!’ Y’know, that sort of thing?”  
  
“You’re thinking of Sherlock Holmes,” you laughed in amusement. “Nobody smokes a pipe anymore.”  
  
“Hahaha, I guess that classic old-fashioned detective look is pretty outdated, huh?” Kaede answered cheerfully.  
  
“I guess Shuichi does wear a cap,” you remembered. “But that’s just because he doesn’t like eye contact I think.”  
  
“Shuichi?” Kaede asked, with a tilt of her head.  
  
“Oh, sorry - my partner,” you explained. “That’s his name.”  
  
“Ah, I get it!” She nodded. “Hey, that reminds me! I met someone new today as well! Apparently he works at the nursery too, but he’s been on a trip so we haven’t met. I mean, until today!”  
  
“You haven’t told me much about your coworkers now that you mention it,” you pointed out. “Why the sudden interest?”  
  
“Aww, come on, it’s not like that!” Kaede protested. “Anyway, he seems a little unreliable, but he’s easy to talk to and the kids adore him.”  
  
“What a catch,” you grinned.  
  
“Oh stop it,” Kaede pouted playfully. “Anyway, his name is Amami, but he insisted we call him Rantaro. For someone so laid back, he’s pretty pushy...”  
  
“Wait...Amami?” You repeated.  
  
“Hmm? Yeah,” Kaede nodded. “Is something wrong?”  
  
“Oh...no, nothing like that,” you answered with a shake of your head. “It sounds familiar is all.”  
  
“Maybe you’ve just heard it somewhere before?” Kaede suggested. “So what’s the rest of the team like?”  
  
“Ah... They’re all pretty unique,” you answered sheepishly.  
  
Once again you recounted your experiences with your various coworkers, from Makoto’s sweet nature, Kokichi’s lies, Miu’s foul language... Kaede listened with amazement as you described some of their antics.  
  
“It sounds like everyone is pretty intense,” Kaede observed. “But don’t worry! I know you can do it!”  
  
“I sure hope so,” you told her with a sigh. “Kokichi and Miu are giving me a lot of trouble, and Miu won’t stop calling me Flatty.”  
  
Kaede burst into laughter at that piece of information. You pretended to be irritated by this, but you couldn’t help but crack a smile in the end.  
  
Kaede in turn told you about her shenanigans while looking after the nursery schoolers. They sounded like a rowdy bunch and your friend certainly had her work cut out for her, but if there was one thing the children seemed to like, it was when Kaede sat down at the communal piano and played a tune.  
  
She was undeniably an amazing pianist. Back in your school days she had won all kinds of competitions and spent more of her time playing the piano than studying, to the point that you occasionally had to remind her to eat and drink while playing.  
  
For a while she had even gotten stuck with the nickname, ‘piano freak’, which you and Miaya were more annoyed about at the time than she was.  
  
“Sounds like you’re pretty busy,” you noted, reaching out for the origami crane by your bed and playing with it in your hands as you talked. “I hope we still find time to talk.”  
  
“Same goes for you, (f/n)! You’d better still find time for Miaya and me!” Kaede scolded. “Even if your jobs seems difficult sometimes. Especially if your job seems difficult! We’re here to help each other y’know?”  
  
“You don’t have to worry about me,” you assured her. “I actually went to see Miaya today.”  
  
“You did? Without me!?” the pianist yelped.  
  
“Sorry, sorry! I just had some time to kill...”  
  
Kaede was right however. You had to get used to relying on others more. When you became stressed, you tended to become withdrawn and quiet, wandering about with a lacklustre expression that Kaede and Miaya has come to recognise.  
  
“I’m serious though, (f/n). Don’t go taking on too much by yourself, okay?” Kaede smiled sheepishly at you. “Don’t take this the wrong way - I think it’s amazing that you can work so hard - but remember that you also have people to rely on!”  
  
“I get it,” you nodded. “It’s kind of you to worry about me though.”  
  
“Good! Then with that out of the way...”  
  
You and Kaede continued to talk for a while longer into the evening. She had a way of cheering you up.  
  
By the time you finally hung up, it almost felt as though the majority of your worries had simply melted away and you soon drifted into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo all, and thank you very much for reading this far! This chapter is a bit of a filler to kind of establish reader's relationships with the people around her, which will explain a bit of why she sometimes responds to stuff the way she does. This is another of the pre-written chapters, but I will try to incorporate new characters as I go, since the DR cast is so huge!
> 
> Thanks again,  
> ButterFlyEffect


	5. DICE

You arrived in a little earlier the following morning, so as not to risk being the last one to arrive again. You didn’t want to set up a reputation like that... 

 

Kyoko and Jin were already there when you entered, sitting in a stony silence.

 

Miu had fallen back asleep at her desk it seemed, head resting in the keyboard and a line of drool running down her chin. You were surprised to see her in so early, but you supposed she may have been behind on her reports.

 

She looked a lot more innocent in her sleep, lips parted and her blonde hair falling messily over her face.

 

There was no sign of Makoto or Shuichi yet, and the other two enforcers had yet to show up. You weren’t expecting Kokichi for a while yet and Nagito was rather unpredictable, but you were surprised that Shuichi wasn’t there yet. You had taken him for an early riser. 

 

“Good morning,” you said hesitantly.

“...good morning,” Kyoko responded after a long pause.

 

You nodded and sat down by your desk, starting up the screen in front of you to check any incoming emails. The office went totally quiet again.

 

You stared blankly at the screen for a couple of seconds, trying to remember what you were about to do. You were still getting used to the early mornings and the sleepiness was going to your head. Stifling a yawn, you shook your head and reminded yourself to check the emails.

 

There wasn’t much news since yesterday. Mikan had written to you, reporting that there was no change to Soushun’s condition and that the questioning would therefore have to wait. Besides that, there wasn’t much else except a warning that the floors upstairs were still slippy from the cleaning robots.

 

“Ah Kyoko, I’m back,” a friendly voice announced and you looked over your shoulder to see Makoto walk in with two coffee cups. “I brought coffee.”

 

“Just leave it on the desk,” Kyoko responded, not even pausing in her typing.

 

“R-Right,” he responded, dropping it off at her desk and then turning around to look apologetically at you. “Sorry, I didn’t see you come in, but you can have mine if you want.”

 

He offered the other coffee cup to you with a smile. You glanced self-consciously down at your hands, feeling you face grow warm again. “N-No, that’s okay, I had some this morning. But thank you, really!”

 

Actually, a coffee sounded great right now, but you didn’t want to take it off him when he had gone to all that trouble.

 

“No, really, I insist,” he answered. “You seem tired. Are you sleeping okay? This job can get pretty intense...”

 

“W-Well, if you’re sure,” You stammered, taking the coffee from him. “Thank you very much... I’m just...adjusting, is all.”

 

“Take as much time as you need,” he reassured you sweetly, turning back to his desk.

 

The door swung open again and Shuichi stepped in self-consciously with an uncertain: “Ah...good morning.”

 

“Morning,” you and Makoto responded in unison.

 

“...good morning,” Kyoko added after some delay.

 

Shuichi took his usual seat beside you and began to load up his screen, yawning sleepily. You offered him a sleepy smile, to which he glanced away awkwardly. Well you supposed it may still take some time until he was completely used to you.

 

“Ah, that reminds me... Has anyone seen Nagito or Kokichi?” Makoto wondered, glancing around the room. Kyoko glanced up as well and frowned suspiciously as though just noticing their absence. Just as she did however, the door swung open revealing Nagito, a sheepish grin on his face and a bruise on his cheek.

 

“Ah my apologies for being late,” he spoke up apologetically. “I was on my way here and I tripped and fell down a flight of stairs... Fortunately Mikan was there to break my fall! I really am lucky after all.”

 

“I wouldn’t call that ‘luck’...” Shuichi pointed out, frowning.

 

“Huh? So then we’re just missing Kokichi?” you asked. That couldn’t be a good sign...

 

“Where could that guy be?” Shuichi muttered, narrowing his eyes.

 

“Um...should I go look for him?” you offered.

 

“I wouldn’t bother,” Jin answered, not even looking up from his computer. “He’ll show up sooner or later.”

 

“Maybe it’s just another one of his pranks?” Makoto laughed nervously. He didn’t look convinced either.

 

“I hope nothing terrible has happened to him,” Nagito sighed with a dark expression, obviously imagining several worst case scenarios in vivid detail.

 

“Cut that out, I’m sure he’s fine,” Makoto scolded. “But I wonder where he could be...?”

 

“E-Excuse me!” you stammered, standing up from your desk. “Could I...please take some time to go look for him?”

 

For some reason his absence was bothering you. You weren’t sure if you were concerned for his well-being or nervous about what he might be up to, but either way you felt the need to find the short enforcer.

 

“You don’t need to ask my permission,” Kyoko responded without even pausing in her typing. “But I want those documents by tomorrow.”

 

“R-Right!” You answered with a nod, scrambling towards the door and rushing out the office. Where could he be? Where would he go?

 

You had convinced yourself he was up to something now. You peeked your head into various rooms as you walked down the halls, but these efforts were fruitless. You called his name a couple of times and then went to check the vending machines but the boy was nowhere to be found.

 

You stared blankly at the empty lounge, wondering where he possibly could have gone. Could he have gone to see Mikan? It seemed unlikely but it was worth a try.

 

You began to wander towards the elevator doors when a crack in the control room door caught your attention and you froze, watching it closely.

 

It looked dark inside, but there was the usual dim glow of the many monitors inside. What caught your attention however was the voices coming from inside.

 

One was Kokichi’s familiar cheery voice but the other one you didn’t recognise. It was excited and high pitched, grating against your ears like nails on a chalk board. It had a strange speaking pattern and was punctuated by wheezing cackles.

 

“So...” Kokichi was saying. “I got you the ‘souvenir’ you asked for. Now about that card key...”

 

“Kyahahahaha!” the second voice laughed shrilly before suddenly turning irritated. “Man what a pain... I went through a whole load of trouble to get this thing, so you’d better keep your mouth shut, tiny boy!”

 

Card key...? Trouble...? You froze. This whole conversation sounded secretive and...off somehow. Was Kokichi really up to no good again? Who was he talking to? The voice sounded vaguely familiar in a way you couldn’t comprehend. It was like it was Toko, but...not Toko?

 

“Nishishishi... No promises,” Kokichi responded. “I’ll be taking that.”

 

“Don’t get funny with me,” the other voice cackled. “I could easily slice you to pieces you with my trusty scissors! After all, you’re quite the pretty boy yourself...”

 

“Don’t worry, this stays between us,” Kokichi answered and you could almost hear the smirk in his voice. “It would be a pain for me as well if anyone found out, you know.”

 

“To go through aaaaaall that trouble just for those idiots...” the former asked. “Your friends must really mean a loooot to you. Right, right? Right?”

 

You frowned. Just who was this voice referring to? Makoto and Kyoko and the others? The enforcers? Someone else entirely?

 

“I don’t know what you mean!” Kokichi answered playfully. “I’m doing this for myself. Those guys are just a bonus.”

 

“Well whatever! That’s none of my beeswax, kyahahahahah-ah...a-ACHOO! Eh...huh?”

 

There was a new voice followed by the sneeze, which sounded an awful lot like Toko...

 

Just who the hell was Kokichi talking to!?

 

“What...What’s going on!?” Toko gasped, fear and suspicion in her voice. “Wh-What are you doing here?”

 

“Oh nothing,” Kokichi immediately lied without even hesitating. “I just missed my beloved Toko!”

 

“I-I don’t w-want to hear that from you!” Toko snapped. “I don’t k-know what you’re up to b-but get out!”

 

“Huh? What’s this?” he responded. “Even someone as disgusting as Toko hates me now? That’s so mean! WAAAAAAAAAHH!”

 

You jumped in your spot at his sudden outburst of exaggerated crying. 

 

“D-Don’t jab at me!” Toko protested. “Just g-get out!”

 

You barely had time to take a step away from the door when it was swung open suddenly. Toko roughly shoved Kokichi out of the room and the boy stumbled a couple of steps, turning around only to see Toko slamming the door in his face.

 

Kokichi only grinned maliciously and turned his eyes on you. You flinched a little as he did and took a step back.

 

“I-I didn’t mean to e-eavesdrop, I just-!” You began to protest, but were cut off.

 

“(F/n)! Just the person I was looking for! Perfect timing,” he beamed, taking a sudden step towards you and leaning in, so that your faces were mere inches apart. You were aware of his childish behaviour sometimes but your breath still hitched at the proximity. Perhaps he was trying to decide how much you had overheard. “It isn’t nice to listen into other people’s conversations, you know! I would never do something so dishonest!”

 

“Was that...another lie?” You gulped.

 

“Nishishishi! You know me so well, (f/n)!” he answered, rocking back on his feet to give you some breathing space again. You breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

 

“Who were you talking to in there?” you questioned the enforcer, trying to sound stern.

 

“Hmm? Oh, nobody important!” Kokichi answered, unbothered. “Just Toko’s evil serial killer alter ego, Genocider Syo!”

 

You paused, narrowing your eyes at him in disbelief.

 

“...You’re pulling my leg again, aren’t you?” You sighed, deciding you probably wouldn’t get a proper answer out of him.

 

“Maybe I am, maybe not! Who can say?” he responded cheekily. “I’m a liar after all.”

 

Now you had absolutely no idea who he was going on about, and it left you completely confused.

 

“You said you were looking for me,” You asked instead. “What’s going on?”

 

“Huh? Did I?” he asked tilting his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about! Buuuut since you’re here, you should totally come with me!”

 

“Where are-“

 

He cut you off by grabbing your hand suddenly and tugging you down the hall despite your hesitance. He definitely had a strong grip for someone so small.

 

“You’ll see, (f/n)!” he grinned over his shoulder as he pulled you down the hallways towards the elevators. “Soon enough, you’ll be thanking me!”

 

“Thanking you!?” You yelped nervously. If it was Kokichi saying that then it didn’t make you feel better in the slightest.

 

He stopped abruptly in front of the elevator door and called it down before turning to you.

 

“You can’t lie to a liar, (f/n),” he smirked. “You’re just as curious about Izuru Kamukura as I am. Don’t try to deny it!”

 

“What are you talking about?” You questioned him worriedly. “Where are we going?”

 

You were interrupted by the elevator doors opening and he simply turned around and sauntered in without responding. You followed apprehensively.

 

“You just have to trust me on this one, (f/n),” he smiled mischievously, pushing the button for the second to highest floor. The doors closed behind you.

 

“You want me to trust in...a liar?” You asked, narrowing your eyes.

 

“You’re saying I’m a liar? How cruel!” he gasped dramatically, as though hurt.

 

You said nothing, ignoring his reaction. Instead you scrutinised him with narrowed eyes, but he didn’t so much as avert his eyes from your stare.

 

You sighed and glanced away. “We don’t have clearance to be up there,” you pointed out.

 

“Not with that attitude,” he answered cheekily. “I’m just gonna make my own clearance!”

 

With that he pulled out an unfamiliar card key and waved it in front of you for you to see. Your eyes widened immediately and you stared at the card key in shock. It was some kind of high clearance ID card with a photo of one of the directors on it. Why did Kokichi have something like that!?

 

“Th-The card key...from T-Toko...earlier...” you stammered in realisation. “That’s what you were up to!?”

 

“I’m not up to anything. And neither are you,” he reminded you with a sly smile.

 

“B-But we’ll get in trouble! This is theft...a-and trespassing! I could be fired! Or worse!” You babbled, horrified.

 

“Then don’t get caught!” Kokichi responded unhelpfully.

 

“Th-That’s easy for you to say...but my job...”

 

For a moment the enforcer fell silent, an almost thoughtful expression on his face. As he paused the elevator began to slow to a stop, the automated voice announcing the floor. The doors slid open and Kokichi turned towards them, facing away from you.

 

“You’re wrong if you think you’re the only one who has something to lose...” he murmured, and stepped out into the corridor.

 

“What...?” You asked startled, following him uneasily. You supposed you could have backed out then...taken the elevator back down to your office and tried to forget that anything had ever happened, but for some reason seeing Kokichi’s back walking away down the hall made you want to follow him. It was like you were somehow, inexplicably, already ensnared. Maybe it was your own curiosity...or maybe it was something else, but you doubted he had come up here without reason. You wanted to understand him.

 

“Oh? So you decided to come after all?” he asked as you hurried to catch up with him. “That makes me sooooo happy!”

 

“I-I didn’t have much choice...” You stammered, glancing away.

 

“Liar!” Kokichi exclaimed immediately. “You just can’t stay away! I know that in reality...you’re just as curious as I am!”

 

You sighed heavily. He wasn’t wrong... You couldn’t deny that you were curious. You just didn’t want to admit it, even to yourself. But why was he doing this? Was he really sticking his neck out like this for no reason? He certainly wouldn’t do it for your sake... So what was he up to? Was Izuru Kamukura really the one he was interested in? Or had he come for something else?

 

Kokichi stopped suddenly outside an unmarked door, and turned around to face you, placing his hands behind his head.

 

“Open it!” he grinned innocently.

 

“What? Why do I have to do it?” You complained.

 

“Huh? That attitude is no good at all...” Kokichi sighed. “You dare question the orders of your supreme leader?”

 

“You just don’t want to take the rap...” You grumbled, but decided that arguing with him wasn’t worth the trouble. You supposed you would just have to trust him this time around. Surely he had all of this planned out. “Whatever...just hand me the card key.”

 

“Heeeere you go!” he beamed, holding the thin plastic card towards you. You took it suspiciously off him and swiped it through the card reader on the door. There was a moments pause, followed by the sound of an electronic door unlocking, and you grabbed the door handle, pushing it hesitantly open.

 

You tensed, preparing yourself to be challenged by someone in the room, but no voices could be heard. You squinted into the dimly lit room, but could see nobody around. How convenient... You observed Kokichi from corner of your eye as you took a step in, wondering if he’d had anything to do with it. The short boy followed and closed the door behind him with a smirk.

 

“Nishishi... Guess I was right!” he exclaimed. “Nobody’s here.”

 

“You mean you didn’t know for sure!?” You yelped. Was that why he had made you open the door?

 

You glanced cautiously around the room. It seemed to be a computer room of some kind with one wall lined with massive towers storing digital files, blue lights flashing here and there. Hologram computer screens were lined up along a series of desks and you hung back as Kokichi wandered up to one and fired it up.

 

When it prompted him for a username an password he began typing in the name of the director who’s ID he had stolen, not even hesitating as he entered some unknown password into the lower box. You stared, open mouthed, as the computer granted him access without any trouble.

 

“Y-You’re kidding...when did you...?” You stammered in disbelief.

 

“O-kaaay~! First things first, the security cameras,” was all Kokichi responded with and brought up a window containing a series of videos from different times.

 

“Huh? What about them?” You frowned.

 

“Huh? I thought you were supposed to be smart or something,” Kokichi jabbed back. “We’re gonna show up on the security footage, stupid!”

 

“Ack!” You coughed, panic suddenly seizing your throat. Of course, the security cameras! They would have picked you up and you would be found out! What if you lost your job? Would your psycho pass cloud over?

 

Kokichi started tapping away at the keyboard, bringing up the security footage files for the last couple of days. With a victorious smile he brought up the most recent file, and sure enough it revealed the two of you taking the elevator up to the top floor and sneaking down along the hall, looking alertly about yourselves. It was obviously suspicious behaviour and you would surely be questioned if anyone found these files.

 

“What are you doing?” You hissed anxiously as Kokichi began messing around with the various files. “Delete those files and lets get on with it!”

 

“Don’t be an idiot, that’s waaaay too easy!” Kokichi answered. “Someone would notice for sure and start asking questions.”

 

“Th-Then what do we do?” You gulped.

 

Kokichi grinned wickedly and duplicated one of the files from earlier that day. He proceeded to rename it and overwrite the original file, before setting the blank footage on a loop for the next two hours. You watched, open mouthed as he worked away at the computer. You couldn’t deny that you were impressed, but at the same time you had to ask yourself where he’d gotten these skills.

 

“Phew...” Kokichi sighed exaggeratedly in mock-relief. “That was close! I really thought we were in trouble there...”

 

“That’s a lie...” you muttered, nudging him gently away from the computer with your shoulder and grabbing the mouse. “You weren’t worried at all.”

 

Kokichi didn’t bother trying to resist, instead moving back to allow you to use the computer. You knew that if he hadn’t wanted you to, you wouldn’t have been able to take over anyway.

 

You opened up the file archives, which brought up a search window on the program. You exchanged a glance with Kokichi, who nodded with an unreadable smile, and typed the name Izuru Kamukura into the search machine. 

 

337 files were found on the database. You frowned and opened the first one, titled “Hope Cultivation Plan” and stared uncomprehendingly at the wall of text that followed.

 

“Wh-What is this...?” You stammered. “I haven’t heard of anything like that...”

 

“The project is named after the founder of the Sybil System, Izuru Kamukura, and is considered the culmination of The Public Safety Bureau's research on talent and intellect. In order to achieve this goal of a perfect living incarnation of the Sybil System, human experimentation and other immoralities are required, so The Board of Directors have unanimously voted to keep the project a secret from the Public.

Extensive surgeries were performed on the test to create the perfect enforcer of the Sybil System. As a result the subject lacks any emotional responses and is therefore able to act purely based on logic,” you read out.

 

“To place such little value on human emotions and morality...” Kokichi grinned, not seeming especially shocked by the findings. “What terrible people! And I thought I was the only one who would stoop to something so low!”

 

You scrolled down a little and frowned. “There’s stuff here about the subject...Hajime Hinata...”

 

It listed everything from his name and birthday to his height and blood type. There was a little about his background as well, but in the whole he seemed like an incredibly average, normal boy. Why was it then that they had chosen him for such a project?

 

You tried to recall Izuru’s face in your memory and to your surprise, found that it sprang easily to mind.

 

“There’s no doubt about it...” you whispered. “That guy...Izuru Kamukura...and Hajime Hinata are one and the same. But the question is, does he remember any of that...?”

 

“Who can say?” Kokichi hummed, glancing over his shoulder as though keeping an eye out for potential trouble. 

 

You shook it from your head for now and opened up another file, labelled ‘Results of Experiment 1’, however this file mainly consisted of complex science and terms you didn’t understand. It was concluded with a short sentence which only read: ‘Phase 1 Complete’.

 

You frowned and opened up another file. This one appeared to be a profile for Izuru Kamukura. There was a photo of him staring straight at the camera with his piercing red eyes, a look of cold calculation in them. His jet-Black hair flowed messily around him and he was wearing what looked like a plain black suit. He seemed just the same as you had seen him last time.

 

You closed down the files and tried a new search with the key words ‘Izuru’, ‘Kamukura’ and ‘transfer’.

 

3 files showed up on the database and you opened the most recent one.

 

It seemed to be a record of Izuru’s sudden transfer away from the medical ward. Frowning, you scrolled down a little, looking for more information about where the boy had been transferred to.

 

Your gaze rested on a sentence towards the end of the report, which read: ‘As such the subject will be transferred back to the top floor research facility for further testing.’

 

“T-Top floor research facility...?” You stammered. You’d never heard of anything like that in the building. “Does that mean Izuru Kamukura is in this building right now?”

 

“Awww man! Who would have thought that some crazy human experimentation was going on right over our heads?” Kokichi grinned, his eyes sparkling in a way that suggested he was the opposite of upset or surprised.

 

This was all a lot to take in and you shook your head, looking back at the computer screen.

 

“We don’t have time to go through all of these files,” you observed nervously. “We got what we came for right? So we should-“

 

“Here, think fast!” Kokichi interrupted, pulling something small out of his pocket and tossing it through the air towards you. 

 

You froze for a split second before your hands shot out instinctively to grab the object flying in an arc towards you. You caught it awkwardly and fumbled for a couple of seconds to get a proper grip on it before observing the thing in your hand. 

 

“A USB stick?” You asked dubiously.

 

“You know what to do, (f/n)~!”

 

With a sigh you turned back to the computer and slotted the memory stick into the port in the keyboard. Certainly this would leave less of a trace than transferring the files wirelessly. As soon as the window popped up on screen, you selected the relevant files on Izuru Kamukura and dragged them over into the memory stick.

 

A box popped out with the words: ‘Tranferring 1 of 337 files, 6 minutes left.’

 

You groaned. Being here was making you uncomfortable and you honestly wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. Being found in the hall was one thing as you might have been able to pass it off as being lost, but if you were found in here, transferring restricted files onto a memory drive no less, you would be in serious trouble.

 

You stood there in silence, watching as the files seemed to transfer agonisingly slowly.

 

“Hey, hey, you’re pretty good at following my orders, (f/n),” Kokichi smirked wickedly. “You should totally join my organisation when we get out of here!”

 

“You’re still talking about that?” You asked suspiciously. “What kind of organisation are you talking about anyway?”

 

“Well, as you know, I’m the leader of an evil secret organisation!” he boasted. “It’s amazing! It’s an organisation with over 10,000 members after all.”

 

“That’s seems a little hard to believe...” you frowned, glancing back at the files.

 

“Welp, who knows?” Kokichi shrugged lightly. “I’m a liar after all.”

 

“You admit something like that so freely...” you sighed.

 

“Well, me being the leader of an evil secret society is true though!” he then added.

 

“Which is it?” You grumbled impatiently. He really was surrounded by uncertainties.

 

“Oh? Are you curious?” Kokichi asked, tilting his head.

 

“Not really,” you mumbled.

 

“Jeeeez... You’ve got some guts lying to me!” he responded, sounding almost offended.

 

“S-Sorry...”

 

Wait, why were you apologising!?

 

You were making progress with the files, and about ninety percent of them had transferred. You chewed your lip nervously as you watched, painfully aware of the seconds ticking by as you stood in a place you shouldn’t be, doing something you would probably get fired over if anyone found out.

 

The crime coefficient monitor on your wrist had gone up a value in your anxiety.

 

“Be careful, Inspector (f/n)!” Kokichi chirped up. “If you keep getting so worked up over everything, you’ll soon end up like me!”

 

“When did you...?” You winced. Why was it like he could always just read your mind?

 

You paused for a moment. Could he actually be a mind reader!? No, there was no way! Was there even a scientific explanation for something like that?

 

“I can’t read your mind, stupid!” Kokichi snickered. “Your face is just waaaay too open!”

 

You were trying to think of a retort when the computer let out a notification sound, letting you know the files had been transferred. Immediately, you shot back to the computer and ejected the USB stick, shoving it in your pocket for safekeeping.

 

“Okay, we got what we came for, let’s go!” you hissed urgently,

 

“No, not yet,” Kokichi responded in an unusually curt tone and and elbowed you none too gently away from the keyboard, beginning to type something into the database search machine.

 

“Huh? Ah, hey! What are you doing!?” You protested. “We need to get out of here!”

 

The enforcer ignored your protests and tapped the word ‘DICE’ into the search machine, leaning a little closer to the screen.

 

“Hey, Ko-“

 

“You can go now,” he answered, scanning the results of the search. “I don’t need you anymore! Nothing’s stopping you, y’know?”

 

He seemed to be dismissing you, his attention instead focused on the screen in front of him. He double clicked on a file labelled ‘DICE Profiles’, bringing it up on the screen.

 

“I’m not leaving you behind,” you protested indignantly, crossing your arms.

 

“Aww, don’t you trust me?” Kokichi smirked, scrolling through the profiles of several other girls and boys around your ages. There wore matching white uniforms, though they varied drastically in appearance. Some of them appeared to have the remains of white face paint smeared on them, and many of them wore similar deceptive smiles or sharp glares. Just what was Kokichi looking for?

 

“It’s not that,” you answered with a frown. “We’re in this together, which means I’m responsible for you! If we get caught, then no way can I let you take the blame alone.”

 

For a moment Kokichi froze, illuminated by the screen in front of him, and as you watched him, his eyes widened. His reaction lasted less than a second however, and he immediately covered it up with an exaggerated look of disappointment as he turned to you and jabbed a finger towards you. You went cross-eyed to look at it, before taking a step back.

 

“Jeez, don’t you get it? You’re just a liability!” he grumbled. “Who says I’d hide your involvement anyway? Don’t flatter yourself! You just don’t trust me. How awful of you, (l/n)...”

 

He sniffled in mock-sadness towards the end of his words.

 

“You’re just saying that to make me go away!” You protested, though you couldn’t deny you felt slightly hurt. “I’m not leaving. As your supervisor, I’d be held responsible anyway...”

 

In the end you couldn’t admit that you would have felt too guilty leaving him behind. You didn’t want him to tease or insult you again...

 

Kokichi opened his mouth to respond but was cut off suddenly by the sharp, piercing sound of an alarm siren. The lights turned on, glowing a warning red, bathing you in the dim orange light.

 

You flinched violently at the sound, adrenaline instantly filling your body. Your heart began to pound in shock.

 

‘SECURITY BREACHED, WARNING SECURITY BREACHED’

 

“Shit!” Kokichi cursed, turning back to the computer and closing down the file, desperately scrolling through the database as though looking for something.

 

“Kokichi, we have to go!” You protested.

 

He ignored you, instead pulling up another file on DICE, which he began to skim through, his pupils flicking back and forth as they took in the information on the screen.

 

“West Wing Latent Criminal Research Facility, Shibuya, Tokyo...” Kokichi read out, more to himself than to you, as though trying to remember something, burning the information into his brain.

Suddenly you yanked the mouse out of his hand, pushing him away from the screen. He seemed to be caught off guard by this sudden action and stumbled as you quickly closed down the database and began logging out of the computer.

 

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing!?” Kokichi asked angrily, trying to fight back for the control of the mouse. “Give that back!”

 

He tried to push you away from the computer but it was too late. The hologram was logging out and shutting down already. He was surprisingly strong for someone of his small size, but you were filled with adrenaline and desperate to get out.

 

Without thinking, you grabbed his hand and began to pull him towards the door.

 

He hesitated for a moment but then for some reason seemed to shake himself visibly and dashed after you.

 

As you shot down the hall he easily overtook you which resulted in him tugging you roughly down the hall.

 

“Hey! This way! I think I see someone!” a voice yelled behind you as you rounded a corner. The elevator was in sight.

 

The pair of you rushed towards it, and you released Kokichi’s hand, hammering desperately on the control panel, pleading with the elevator to speed up.

 

There was an electronic sound, indicating the metal box had reached the right floor and a moment later the door began to slide open at the same moment in which two security guards came rushing around the corner.

 

You froze, eyes widening in panic. What would happen if they caught you? Had they recognised you? What was going to happen to you?

 

Suddenly you were pushed forcefully into the elevator by a pair of hands on your back and you stumbled forwards, tripping over your own feet and collapsing to the floor of the elevator.

 

“Whoops!” Kokichi grinned, lowering his hands and slipping into the small metal room beside you, wasting no time in pressing the right floor number. The doors trembled slightly and began to slide shut.

 

“Wait! Stop right there!” one of the guards shouted, and you looked up at Kokichi with wide, panicked eyes, who only smirked as the doors slid shut behind you and the elevator began to move down.

 

The moment you felt your stomach drop as the metal room slid down the shaft, you suddenly felt exhausted. Your shoulders slumped and you released a long shaky breath you didn’t even realise you had been holding. It was all you could do to keep yourself upright in a seated position.

 

“Phew! That was a close one!” Kokichi beamed, throwing his hands behind his head and looking down at you. “But that’s a lie! I knew what I was doing!”

 

“They would have found us if we hadn’t left when we did!” You exploded in response, glaring at him.

 

“Oh?” he asked, tilting his head. “So you’re gonna blame me for this now? But you know, you could have left at any point.”

 

“That’s a lie!” You protested, your fear turning into annoyance. “I had no choice! I couldn’t leave you there!”

 

“Then maybe you didn’t have a choice,” he responded deceptively. “But it wasn’t me who was keeping you there, you know? You were curious about Izuru Kamukura, so you stayed. You can’t lie to me!”

 

He glared childishly at you as he proclaimed his last sentence, as though you had somehow wronged him.

 

“Oh?” he then added. “Or was it maybe that you didn’t trust me? You’re awful, Inspector (l/n)...”

 

Crocodile tears began to form in his eyes and for a second you almost relented.

 

“It’s true! I don’t trust you to stay out of trouble! But...” You trailed off and bit your lip.

 

“Hmm? Could it be...Inspector (f/n) was worried about little old me?” he asked curiously, his tears instantly drying up. “Nishishishi, just kidding! Nobody would worry about a liar like me!”

 

“I was worried!” you retorted without thinking. “You saw how easily they made Kamukura disappear! What if the same thing happened to you!?”

 

For a moment Kokichi’s face went completely blank. For a split second he seemed lost for words. Then he opened his mouth to say something but you cut him off.

 

“Kokichi... What is DICE?” You asked him seriously, meeting his eyes to search for any change in expression.

 

“...” He remained silent, an unreadable expression on his face.

 

“What were you looking for?” You pressed further. “Who were those people?”

 

You never got an answer as at that moment the elevator suddenly ground to a halt. A couple of seconds later the doors slid open, revealing a familiar figure.

 

Kyoko was standing in front of the elevator doors, her arms crossed and an unimpressed expression on her face as she glared first at you sitting on the floor of the elevator and then at Kokichi, who smiled innocently as though there was nothing out of the ordinary going on.

 

“Where,” she began sternly, her eyes impassive. “Have you two been?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo and sorry it’s been so long! Here’s another chapter that I finally got around to uploading. I no joke have like another 10 prewritten chapters that I just haven’t gotten around to uploading, but I’ll do my best!
> 
> I’m in a bit of a rush, so sorry this is so short, but I also wanted to apologise for being so bad at replying to everyone’s lovely comments! I promise I read them all. <3 I’m considering maybe making a discord server if anyone does want to talk but it depends if anyone would like that? 
> 
> Anyway, thanks so much for reading!
> 
> -ButterFlyEffect


	6. Murderous Fiend

“WAAAHAAAHAAAH!” Kokichi screeched, massive crocodile tears streaming down his face.

 

The two of you were seated on the couches in the office, across from Kyoko and Makoto. Kokichi was openly wailing and protesting, though you could tell his reaction was exaggerated. You on the other hand sat slouched guiltily on the sofa, hands placed on your lap, eyes facing the floor.

 

Kyoko’s cheek twitched at Kokichi’s outburst, but her scrutinising expression remained the same, cold and searching.

 

Makoto sat beside her with an awkward smile on his face. He looked confused and a little apologetic almost.

 

The office was silent with only Nagito typing away on his computer, smiling to himself and Shuichi listening in nervously, obviously curious but trying not to seem too interested.

 

“Start talking,” Kyoko ordered, crossing her arms. Her eyes narrowed and she pursued her lips together in displeasure.

 

Instantly the two of you began talking at once.

 

“It was all her/his idea!” the two of you exclaimed at the same time before exchanging matching glares.

 

“I was just on my way in when she suddenly grabbed me and forced me into the elevator! Uwaaaaah!” Kokichi wailed. “I was so scared!”

 

“That’s not true!” You protested. “I was just looking for him, when-“

 

“You’re just gonna take her word over mine, aren’t you?” Kokichi whined. “How cruel of you! And I thought we had something special!”

 

“But I’m telling the truth!” You protested.

 

“So am I!” Kokichi lied, clenching his hands into fists.

 

“You can’t both be telling the truth...” Makoto chuckled nervously, scratching his cheek.

 

“I am telling the truth!” the two of you exclaimed in unison.

 

“Be quiet, both of you!” Kyoko ordered forcefully, annoyance clearly visible on her face.

 

Instantly you both froze. Your gaze fixed on your feet.

 

“I want you both to tell me what really happened,” she ordered. “(L/n) first.”

 

“But-“

 

“Quiet!” Kyoko shut Kokichi up before he had time to finish his protest. He stuck out his tongue in response.

 

You sighed, lowering your gaze. “It’s my fault,” you mumbled. “I’ll accept full responsibility, so let me tell the truth, Kokichi.”

 

“...”

 

“I...I was curious,” you admitted guiltily. “I wanted to know about...Izuru Kamukura. So I-“

 

“It was my idea,” Kokichi interrupted.

 

“H-Hey!” You protested. “I just said it was my fault, so-“

 

“Quiet, Kokichi,” Kyoko interrupted. “(L/n), continue. Izuru Kamukura.”

 

“R-Right... I was curious,” You stammered. “So we...took the elevator up to the 78th floor and...well...”

 

You paused, biting your lip guiltily as you pulled out the memory stick from your pocket. As you did, Makoto let out a little gasp and leaned forward in curiosity. Kyoko’s eyes widened fractionally and she held out her gloved hand towards you.

 

Shakily you leaned forwards and placed the memory stick onto her palm. She drew back again and examined it.

 

“The files...on Izuru Kamukura,” you explained, looking at the floor and preparing for her outrage.

 

Instead Kokichi’s voice piped up: “Hey! How come you get to hog all the glory? It’s my turn!”

 

“R-Right...sorry...” You stammered.

 

“Don’t apologise,” Kyoko sighed. Then she narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Kokichi, reluctantly prompting him to speak.

 

“It’s not fair that Inspector (f/n) is getting all the attention!” he complained, bawling his hands into fists. “The whole thing was my idea! A complex plan orchestrated by none other than myself, your ultimate Supreme Leader! Inspector (f/n) was just a scape goat in case I got caught.”

 

Was he...trying to cover for you? Was that why he was claiming to be solely responsible? But wait...scapegoat!?

 

“Who are you calling a scapegoat?” You protested, feeling a little wounded by that remark.

 

“Why else would I force you to come?” He asked innocently.

 

“Hey, that’s a lie! You didn’t force me to come! I wanted to-“

 

You realised too late what you were saying and bit your tongue. The damage however had already been done. Kyoko’s stare fixed on you and you fidgeted beneath her gaze.

 

Shuichi had stopped pretending to be working and was now merely sitting tensely at his desk, listening in unashamedly.

 

Kokichi yawned and placed his hands behind his head, leaning back into the sofa.

 

“Kyoko...” Makoto spoke up worriedly, as though trying to soothe her.

 

“...good work, you two,” she spoke.

 

...

 

...

 

What!?

 

“Huh?” both Makoto and you exclaimed in unison. Shuichi coughed, trying to hide his squeak of surprise.

 

“Kyoko...?” Makoto stammered.

 

“I said good work,” she repeated. “However, I cannot have the two of you running around by yourselves like that. I need to be able to rely on you. It would have reflected badly on all of us if someone saw you. Next time, come to myself or Makoto first.”

 

“Wait a minute...!” Makoto protested, waving his hands about in panic.

 

“I... You...you’re not angry?” You asked, amazed. Would you get to keep your job after all?

 

Kyoko sighed. “I don’t approve of you going behind my back but I understand why you did it. As a team we need to be able to depend on each other. In the end it seems you’ve saved me some trouble.”

 

“Saved you some trouble...?” Makoto repeated. “Kyoko, you weren’t going to-“

 

“Of course not,” she responded, with a hint of a sly smile.

 

Kokichi’s grin widened as if something passed between the two of them. A look of knowing.

 

Makoto looked unconvinced, but remained quiet.

 

“Your desire to seek the truth will stand you in good stead,” she then added and stood up, slipping the USB stick into her jacket pocket. “But it won’t be easy for you...”

 

She almost spoke the last part in a whisper, as though talking to herself rather than anyone else and began to walk towards the door, her heels clicking against the polished floor.

 

“A-Ah, wait!” Makoto scrambled after her, sending you and Kokichi an apologetic smile to excuse himself. “Where are you going?”

 

“The control room,” she responded without stopping. “I want Alter Ego to analyse these files.”

 

“Ah, hold on, I’ll come with you!”

 

The two of them left together, with Kyoko in the lead, steadfast and determined with Makoto stumbling after her, babbling something about being careful.

 

The moment Kyoko and Makoto left the room and were out of earshot, you slumped back into your chair and released a long, shaky breath.

 

“(F/n), are you okay?” Shuichi asked, concern lacing his voice.

 

“I-I’m fine...but I really thought I was gonna lose my job...” you mumbled exhaustedly. “Hey...Kokichi...were you planning on giving her those files all along?”

 

“Hm? I don’t know what you’re talking about! Not even I can see that far ahead,” he answered slyly. You were at least 90% sure he was lying. But even so...had he been seeking the truth for your benefit or was this merely another of his schemes? What was he really after? Perhaps the thing he was really interested in was DICE, whatever that was, and Izuru Kamukura was merely a ploy to manipulating you into playing along.

 

“Haha... Seeing you two work together like this... It fills me with hope,” Nagito sighed contentedly. You had almost forgotten he was there.

 

“There’s no ‘working together’... I’m just getting dragged along,” You responded, shooting a sharp glance at Kokichi. He grinned back cheekily.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he answered. “Laying all the blame on me like that...how awful...”

 

The two of you began bickering again, which was more like one sided teasing from Kokichi as you protested.

 

The corners of Shuichi’s mouth twitched up and he turned back to his computer.

 

“Hey, Shuichi! Aren’t you gonna help me out here!?” You exclaimed.

 

“What?” He replied, startled.

 

“Are you fuckin’ serious?” A new voice suddenly snapped and Miu came stomping in, flashy and prickly as ever. “Are you two at it again? Just go stand in the corner and play with yourselves or something!”

 

“Okay! I’ll start right now!” Kokichi exclaimed.

 

“Don’t just go along with it!” You protested.

 

“Oh?” Kokichi responded, leaning his face in very close until your noses almost touched. “So then maybe you want to do it instead?”

 

You sucked in your breath, suddenly finding yourself unable to move again, frozen like a deer in the headlights as his face hovered less than an inch away from yours.

 

“Please refrain from something so inappropriate,” Nagito sighed disappointedly.

 

“I-I wasn’t going to!” You stammered, finding your voice again and shifting away, a fierce blush on your face.

 

The rowdiness in the room was cut short suddenly, when a shrill, ear-splitting scream erupted from the hall, followed by a noisy crashing sound and whimpering.

 

Shuichi jumped violently and everyone in the room collective whirled around. With a lack of any further noise, the five of you exchanged glances and rushed out of the office into the hall.

 

As soon as you turned the corner, you let an exclamation of shock and surprise. Sprawled our suggestively on the floor amongst a clutter of cleaning supplies, was Mikan, whimpering tearfully and bemoaning her situation. There was a mop between her legs and she was soaked.

 

“Uwaaaaaahh! I-I tripped!” she wailed miserably.

 

“How do you trip and end up like that!?” You exclaimed, taking a step back in amazement.

 

“It’s like a magic trick or something,” Shuichi agreed, wide-eyed.

 

“Kyahahahaha! Keep it in your pants, you nasty pervert!” Miu shrieked with laughter, obviously enjoying the situation.

 

“I-I wasn’t staring!” Shuichi yelped. “My eyes just happened to look there!”

 

“Uuuuu... I’m sorry! F-F-Forgive meeee! I’m sorry for showing you something so...so unsightly!” she whimpered.

 

“Jeez! How can you be so clumsy?” Kokichi asked her condescendingly. “To trip and fall like that... You must be a total loser!”

 

“Hiiiiiiieee! I’m sorryyyyyy!”

 

“Um, guys? I think we should help her up now,” Nagito suggested.

 

“A-Ah...” Shuichi stammered.

 

“R-Right... You’re right!” You exclaimed, scrambling towards Mikan to help her up.

 

Shuichi rushed after you and together the two of you began to extract Mikan from the various cleaning supplies. Shuichi’s face had reddened and you could tell he was uncomfortable.

 

Nagito held out a hand for Mikan, who took it and shakily allowed herself to be pulled back to her feet.

 

“She’s so wet...” Miu gasped, her face turning red and a line of drool running down her chin. “It’s too much... Even for a seasoned veteran like me...”

 

“A-Are you okay?” Shuichi asked Mikan, sounding concerned.

 

“Uuuu... I-I’m sorry... Please forgive me...” Mikan hiccuped, rubbing salty tears from her eyes.

 

“Ah, you don’t have to apologise...” Shuichi answered awkwardly.

 

“Kyahahaha! You know, I can identify pervs on sight!” Miu jeered at Shuichi. “And you are definitely a fuckin’ perv! That’s why you wear that hat, right? To hide your eyes! Everyone knows only pervs wear hats!”

 

“Stop it...” Shuichi hissed angrily, his face darkening. It was a surprise to you to see his expression change like that. It seemed like maybe even Shuichi had a tipping point. “Leave me alone! I can wear a hat if I want to!”

 

“Hiiiiieee!” Miu shrieked, back-pedalling immediately. “Wh-What the hell...are you gettin’ pissed off at me for? T-Tell the world you’re sorry! If you startle me into losing motivation, that loss will be felt across the whole world!”

 

“Alright, that’s enough...” you sighed. “Leave Shuichi alone.”

 

“Jeez...” Kokichi grumbled. “I don’t think someone as socially inept as Miu should be let into society. Just go back to your room and lick dusk or something!”

 

“L-L-Lick dust!?” Miu yelped, shocked. She obviously wasn’t used to anyone snapping back at her and was sent reeling.

 

“I...I’m sorryyyyyyyy!” Mikan began to cry, sobbing and rubbing her eyes.

 

Nagito sighed. “Seeing the people I admire so much like this... How hopeless...”

 

You closed your eyes for a long moment. These guys were really tiring.

 

“Mikan,” you interrupted, placing your hands gently on her shoulders. She glanced up at you with wide eyes and hiccuped. “What’s going on? Was there something you needed to tell us?”

 

For a moment she looked startled, as though she had momentarily forgotten what was happening. Then a look of panic crossed her face and she began to cry again. 

 

“M-Mikan!?” You exclaimed, shocked. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Uuuuu... It’s...it’s....!” Mikan stammered.

 

“Speak up already!” Kokichi snapped condescendingly. “I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

 

You were about to turn around and scold him when Mikan spoke up again, her next words freezing you in your tracks.

 

“I-It’s Soushun Murasame...!” she wailed miserably. “He’s...he’s been m-m-murdered!”

 

Hearing the word ‘murdered’ was enough to throw all of you into a disbelieving silence as you attempted to comprehend the words she had just spoken.

 

All of you froze completely and stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.

 

Her eyes watered as she begged: “Please, you have to believe me!”

 

You struggled to regain your voice to respond, your mouth opening and closing in silence without uttering a single noise.

 

Soushun...the only remaining witness to the massacre a couple of days ago...was dead? And not only dead, but murdered?

 

Someone murdered inside the Public Safety Bureau? That was unheard of. The security was practically impenetrable. How would anyone have made it all the way to the medical ward, let alone murder someone without a single person finding out?

 

“A-Ah... But he’s our only witness...” Shuichi stammered after a moment, his voice sounding thin and strained.

 

“No shit Sherlock!” Miu snarled, although you could see she was sweating buckets and had an extremely unnerved expression on her face.

 

Nagito’s expression had changed from surprised to disappointed, and he was muttering something to himself along the lines of this being a hopeless situation.

 

Kokichi’s initial reaction had been a slight widening of his eyes and a frown, but he covered it up almost instantly with an unbothered smile, though you could almost feel the thoughts rushing through his head.

 

“H-Have you told anyone else about this?” You asked breathlessly after a moment, trying to regain your composure. “No, more importantly... Are you sure it was...murder?”

 

“P-Positive...” Mikan sniffled. “He...he was suffocated...*hic*...by his own p-pillow...and the m-m-machine...”

 

She began to hyperventilate, and was unable to finish her sentence, overwhelmed by a wave of emotion.

 

“This is all my fault!” she cried, tears streaming down her face. “I-If only I had been more c-careful...!”

 

“Mikan, calm down,” you attempted to soothe her. “I promise it’s not your fault. What about the machine?”

 

“Th-The heart monitor...” she sniffled. “Someone disconnected the heart m...monitor...”

 

“Shit,” you heard Kokichi curse under his breath, chewing unhappily on his thumbnail.

 

“Okay...” you breathed, trying to regain control over the shakiness in your voice. “Here’s the plan. Nagito, Shuichi, please go and fetch the others. Kokichi, Miu, come with me. Mikan, show us where he is.”

 

“R-Right, good idea,” Shuichi agreed after a moment.

 

“Uuuu... *hic*...” Mikan hiccuped, nodding her head frantically up and down.

 

“Anything for my beloved (f/n)!” Kokichi grinned wickedly.

 

“If that is the decision you have all reached together, then very well,” Nagito agreed, eerily cheerfully.

 

“You have some nerve telling me what to do, you flat-“

 

You silenced Miu with a glare and she instantly withdrew with a fearful whimper.

 

“Is everyone ready? Let’s go,” you announced and the six of you split up in different directions. Nagito and Shuichi ran off towards the control room in search of Makoto and Kyoko, while you followed Mikan to the elevator with Kokichi and Miu in tow behind you.

 

The travel down to the medical ward was tense and subdued, with only Kokichi humming away to himself as you descended.

 

The four of you rushed past the security desk, completely unaware of the body lying behind the reception, warm sticky blood slowly pooling beneath it, its dead eyes staring lifelessly up at the ceiling.

 

Mikan led you into the special cases ward, rounding the corner and taking you into a small medical room. It only contained one bed, which was occupied, though you could see from the complete lifelessness of the occupant that you were much too late. Several men in suits were already crowded around the body, investigating thoroughly for any kind of evidence left behind.

 

A tall blond man stood beside the door as you entered, his arms crossed and an extremely displeased expression on his bespectacled face.

 

“How was something like this able to happen?” He was demanding. “Just what exactly has the security been doing all this time?”

 

His eyes were an icy blue, cold and hard. There was not a hint of warmth in them. He had a handsome face but his mouth was twisted into an irritated scowl. He was intimidating to say the least and you found yourself hesitating before entering the room.

 

You knocked quietly on the door, drawing his attention, flinching slightly as his freezing cold gaze fell on you and his eyes narrowed. His frown deepened.

 

“Who are you?” He demanded. “Why are you here? Well? Answer me!”

 

You had the sudden urge to bow your head, but you fought it, instead looking up to bravely meet his gaze and holding up your ID card.

 

“Inspector (f/n) (l/n),” you explained as steadily as you could muster. You didn’t want to show any kind of hesitation in front of this man. You had the sense that if you showed even a single moment of weakness he would instantly zero in on it, like a pack of rabid dogs.

 

“That boy,” you continued, nodding towards Soushun. “Is...was our witness.”

 

The blond man looked extremely unimpressed. “Senior Inspector Byakuya Togami,” he responded. “Branch 14. You must be Kirigiri’s little gofer.”

 

“I’m happy to see you too, beloved Byakuya-chan!” Kokichi cheered, unbothered. “Your smile is looking fresh and friendly today!”

 

Byakuya shot him a look in response, so intensely full of disgust and displeasure that it made you wince.

 

“Shut up, you detestable street rat,” Byakuya responded through clenched teeth. He obviously had a strong dislike of Kokichi for some reason.

 

“Nishishishi~ You act all high and mighty like that, but really you have no idea what’s going on either, right? Riiiiiight?” Kokichi jeered.

 

“Someone get him out of here,” Byakuya snapped, losing his patience.

 

“H-Hey, wait!” You protested. “You can’t just-“

 

It was too late however and one of the suited men in the room had already lunged towards Kokichi to escort him out. Kokichi easily dodged him, using his lithe body to his advantage and instead tossing a punch into the mans stomach, who instantly released a low groan and collapsed to his knees on the floor.

 

“Anyone else want to try that?” Kokichi asked, smiling and tilting his head innocently.

 

You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose exasperatedly.

 

Byakuya’s face tightened in anger. He seemed like the kind of person who was used to having everything his way.

 

You began to look for a way to diffuse the situation, when to your relief, another person entered the room, her heels clicking on the floor as she entered.

 

“Togami,” she greeted tonelessly. “I hope you aren’t manhandling my enforcers again.”

 

“Kirigiri,” Byakuya responded measuredly, eyes dark. “I wouldn’t have to if you just kept that filthy creature of yours under control.”

 

“Filthy creature...?” Kokichi whined, looking exaggeratedly as though he were about to cry. “How rude...”

 

“That’s enough, Kokichi,” Kyoko silenced him. This time he appeared to obey, the smile remaining fixed on his face.

 

A moment later Makoto rushed in, a look of shock appearing on his face as he saw the body on the bed and the man crouched by Kokichi’s feet, holding his stomach. Shuichi skidded in a moment later, almost running into Makoto’s back.

 

“What happened?” Makoto exclaimed.

 

“Naegi... I suggest you keep those wild dogs of yours on a tighter leash,” Byakuya scowled in response.

 

“A-Ah... Hi, Togami,” Makoto answered with an awkward smile, rubbing his cheek sheepishly. “S-Sorry...”

 

“Oi, who’re you callin’ a lil bitch?” Miu snapped.

 

Byakuya silenced her with a single glare, cold enough to freeze fire. It looks could kill, Miu would have dropped dead to the floor by now, but instead she was merely reduced to a whimpering cower.

 

“Whoever did this was very thorough...” Kyoko’s calm voice interrupted your thoughts and you turned around to find her crouched on the floor by the bed.

 

“Wh-What is it?” Makoto asked, as everyone’s attention turned towards her.

 

“Isn’t it obvious?” she responded.

 

“What? Did’ya loose a fuckin’ contact or some shit?” Miu asked.

 

“...” Kyoko didn’t respond for a moment, instead standing up and brushing off her skirt.

 

“Ah... Could it be that you’re looking for traces of the intruder?” Shuichi asked.

 

“That would be the idea, yes...” Kyoko nodded. “However...”

 

Her eyes moved to the lint roller leaning up against the bed and she narrowed her eyes.

 

“Mikan,” she spoke up, causing the young nurse to flinch and jolt to attention.

 

“Y-Yes!” she squeaked anxiously.

 

“Who was in charge of the patient today?” Kyoko questioned.

 

Mikan lowered her eyes, bringing her hands up in anxiety. She was trembling fearfully.

 

Makoto seemed to take pity on her, walking over and placing a hand on her trembling shoulder.

 

“I promise you won’t be in any trouble,” he reassured her. “Please do your best to answer Kyoko’s questions for the sake of the investigation.”

 

Mikan shrank away slightly and bit her lip. She murmured something inaudible and shivered. “Please forgive me...” she then uttered.

 

“Oh for the love of... Speak up!” Byakuya snapped impatiently.

 

“Eeep! Me! I-It was me! It’s all my fault...! It was my responsibility to look after him but I...! I...!” Mikan wailed. “I just left for a minute to change the transfusion and...and...when I came back...uuuuu... Please forgive meeeeee!”

 

“Mikan, listen carefully. This is important,” Kyoko continued. “Did anyone besides you have clearance to enter the patient’s room today? Cleaners, other nurses, anyone?”

 

The nurse looked up tearfully and shook her head. “N-No... Just me... Do...do you hate me now?”

 

“I don’t hate you,” Kyoko answered flatly. “I just want to know. Are you some sort of clean freak?”

 

This seemed to catch Mikan off guard. “C-Clean freak?” she stammered questioningly.

 

“What on earth are you on about?” Byakuya asked with an impatient roll of his blue eyes. 

 

“It doesn’t matter yet,” Kyoko responded. “Just answer the question.”

 

Mikan took a shaky breath. “N-No...” she responded. “A-As p-part of the medical staff we are r-required to keep up a certain level of cleanliness, but-“

 

“So I take it you didn’t use that lint roller?” Kyoko interrupted.

 

“L-Lint roller?” Mikan yelped, looking over at the roller leaned up against the bed post.

 

“Huh? That’s weird,” Makoto agreed suddenly. “When I came here yesterday, it looked unused, but now...”

 

Everyone turned their attention curiously to the lint roller by the bed.

 

“Has anyone checked the security footage yet?” Shuichi asked, a hand placed thoughtfully to his chin.

 

“Whoever did this was both careful and methodical... I doubt the security footage will show us the identity of the culprit,” Kyoko commented. “But nevertheless it could still potentially hold some kind of clue...”

 

Makoto’s expression turned thoughtful. “What do you think?” he asked. 

 

Kyoko was quiet for a moment. Then she decided: “Take (l/n) and check the security footage. Saihara, Kokichi, go and check the reception area.”

 

“A-Ah, yes, of course,” Shuichi nodded anxiously.

 

“Aww man...” Kokichi whined. “What a nuisance...”

 

“Why the reception area?” You asked, confused.

 

“Because someone there might’ve fuckin’ seen something, duh!” Miu snapped. “If they’re still alive that is.”

 

“You think they might be dead!?” You yelped.

 

“Most likely,” Byakuya interrupted with a sigh, pushing up his glasses. “You there,” he added, snapping his fingers at one of the men in suits. “Go with them. Report back to me once you’re done.”

 

“Y-Yessir!” his subordinate responded, jumping to attention and scurrying towards the door.

 

“Miu, I want you in here,” Kyoko continued. “If anyone runs into Nagito or Enforcer Kirigiri on the way, send them over here. Is everyone clear?”

 

There was a general chorus of agreement and you all began to split off in your different directions.

 

You left the room with Makoto, Shuichi and Kokichi and split apart at the reception area, with you and Makoto heading towards the elevator and Shuichi and Kokichi pausing by the reception area to investigate. Everyone besides Kokichi wore matching serious and apprehensive expressions and there was a heavy cloud of tension in the air.

 

You snuck a glance at Makoto out of the corner of your eye, as the two of you stood in the elevator, making your way back up to the control room. His face was thoughtful and serious, though his eyes gave away a hint of anxiety. Nevertheless, he appeared to have composed himself and there was an air of determination about him.

 

He seemed to sense your eyes on him after a couple of moments and turned to give you a slight reassuring smile. You froze, face feeling warm and returned it hesitantly.

 

“It’s pretty bad luck to have arrived in the middle of all this,” he commented sympathetically. “I promise it isn’t always this hectic...”

 

“It...isn’t?” You asked dubiously.

 

“Haha... Yeah, I promise,” he answered, rubbing his cheek sheepishly. “I’m actually kind of relieved though.”

 

“What do you mean?” You asked, confused.

 

“Ah, well... You and Kokichi seem to work well together,” He answered. “It’s actually really impressive... I never thought I’d see him cover for someone else like that. I’ve known him for several years, but I still don’t really understand him sometimes...”

 

“He wasn’t covering for me...” you sighed. “He probably just wanted to take the credit.”

 

Makoto paused for a moment. “I think you’ve got that wrong,” he answered eventually. “It’s true that he is a hard person to understand...but I think he lies to distance himself. He seems to like you though. That’s what I really believe.”

 

“He probably just thinks I’m an idiot or something...” you mumbled, embarrassed. You hadn’t done anything special, so why would he favour you in any way?

 

To your surprise, Makoto chuckled lightly at that. “That sounds like something he’d say,” he grinned. “But you shouldn’t take everything he says at face value.”

 

“You’re right...” you murmured. “But even though I know that, I still can’t keep up with that guy.”

 

“I’m certain you can come to an understanding,” Makoto assured you. “Even someone like Kokichi needs someone he can rely on.”

 

The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open, allowing the two of you to exit into the hallway. As you made your way towards the control room, you couldn’t help but sneak glances at Makoto out of the corner of your eye.

 

“Hey...Naegi?” You asked after a moment.

 

“Is something the matter?” He responded, sending you a curious glance.

 

“It’s about Inspector Kirigiri...” you responded. “Is there something going on between her and Enforcer Kirigiri?”

 

Makoto seemed to freeze for a split second, but quickly shook it off and turned to look at you with an awkward smile, answering: “Ah...well it’s not really a secret or anything, but Kyoko doesn’t really like to talk about it... Mr Kirigiri is her father.”

 

You had suspected as much, but it was still a surprise to hear it said out loud. Your curiosity seemed to show on your face because Makoto continued: “Mr Kirigiri left her when she was very young. As you know, he used to be an inspector here... But this is a pretty intense job and the stress eventually got to him and he was labelled as a latent criminal. This all happened when Kyoko was pretty young and it was really hard on her and her family. I don’t think she really ever forgave him... Ah, but you don’t need to worry! They’re both professionals after all.”

 

“A-Ah...of course,” You stammered. “It’s not like I doubt Inspector Kirigiri or anything. If anything, I really look up to her. To be as good as she is at a job like this...I really admire that.”

 

“Ah... I understand your feelings,” Makoto agreed. “She’s always been like that... But she always tries to take everything on by herself. When I first met her, I never thought she’d be able to work together with others in a team like this.”

 

There was a slight glow in his eyes as he spoke, and once again you wondered if his feelings for Kyoko perhaps extended to more than friendship. You couldn’t help but envy Kyoko a little. What must it be like to have someone who cared for you that much?

 

The two of you had reached the area outside the control room and Makoto raised his hand and knocked.

 

There was a long pause, in which the two of stood awkwardly outside the door, waiting for Toko’s familiar voice to call you in.

 

After a long moment of silence, the door cracked open slightly instead and Toko peeked out suspiciously.

 

She seemed to compose herself slightly when her eyes landed on Makoto and muttered: “Oh, it’s just you...”

 

She opened the door a little wider, allowing the two of you to step into the control room.

 

You glanced at Makoto, amazed. Even Toko seemed able to relax a little around him. He really did seem to radiate an aura of optimism and friendliness.

 

“Oh! It’s you guys!” Alter Ego exclaimed, her face appearing on the screen. “I’m so happy to see you both!”

 

“Haha... Hey there Alter Ego,” Makoto responded with a sheepish smile.

 

“Hallo again...” you added. 

 

“Ah...I was very sorry to hear about Soushun Murasame,” the AI continued. “For a life to slip away so easily is terrible... Ah...but what can I do for you today?”

 

For a moment you were startled that Alter Ego already knew about the murder, but you supposed she was connected to the central network.

 

“We were hoping you could show us the files from this morning’s security footage,” Makoto explained. “Specifically in the medical ward.”

 

“Ah, of course! Coming right up...” Alter Ego announced, bringing up the most recent files onscreen.

 

The first file she showed you was of an empty corridor inside the medical ward. As you watched, a pair of doctors wandered down the hall. A couple of moments later a patient in a pale green hospital gown walked in the opposite direction. Many unfamiliar faces, but nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Alter Ego fast forwarded past a couple of minutes of blank footage. The next person to wander into shot was Mikan. As you watched her from the security camera above her she tripped suddenly over her feet, splayed out on the floor for a couple of moments.

 

Alter Ego chuckled sheepishly and skipped quickly through, speeding through the video footage.

 

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Makoto murmured with a thoughtful frown.

 

After that the computer continued to forward through the footage, occasionally slowing down whenever someone stepped into frame for you to get a look at their faces, but still nothing seemed to stand out.

 

“What about the reception area?” Makoto suggested after a couple of minutes went by.

 

“Coming right up,” Alter Ego responded, and the camera angle changed to a spot above the reception desk. A young woman with long dark hair tapped boredly away on the keyboard in front of her, chewing a piece of gum.

 

As you all watched in concentration, a ringtone suddenly went off and Makoto jumped, scrambling to answer the call.

 

A hologram screen appeared in front of his face, showing Kyoko with a serious expression.

 

“Ah Kyoko...what’s up?” Makoto asked, confused.

 

She wasted no time, explaining: “The receptionist is dead.”

 

Again Makoto’s eyes widened and be opened and closed his mouth a couple of times without uttering a single word.

 

“H-Huh...? But she looks fine right n-“

 

Your voice cut off as the footage on screen suddenly flickered and buzzed slightly and the receptionist went from sitting alive and well on her desk to lying splayed out behind the reception desk in a pool of her own blood, her throat slit. There was no warning or transition, merely a flicker and she was dead.

 

All of a sudden there was a thud as Toko fainted at the gruesome sight, falling to the floor.

 

“A-ah, Toko...!” Makoto exclaimed, rushing over her. He disconnected the call and pulled off his jacket, folding it into a pillow under her head as you stood still in front of the computer screen, staring wide eyed as the footage showed you rushing along the hall towards Soushun’s room with Mikan, Kokichi and Miu, completely unaware of the dead body just on the other side of the desk.

 

“Inspector Togami was there ahead of us, but I didn’t see him appear on the footage...” you noted with a frown. “Ah... Alter Ego, are you sure that’s everything? You didn’t skip anything?”

 

“That’s everything, I’m positive,” Alter Ego answered sincerely, looking a little disheartened. “I’m not very helpful...I’m sorry.”

 

“No no, that’s not true at all!” You protested. “You’ve been really helpful. I just wanted to confirm something...”

 

“What’s on your mind?” Makoto asked, glancing up.

 

“Well... If I’m right, the footage we just watched may have been from a couple of days ago,” you suggested. “Maybe the intruder looped it, like Koki- uh...you know, overwrote the files with older ones?”

 

“Ah, you mean when it jumped like that, it was just switching back to today’s footage?” Makoto understood.

 

“Good thinking, Inspector (l/n)!” Alter Ego explained, her virtual eyes shining. “Allow me to run the file against others from this week...”

 

There was a couple of moments of silence as Alter Ego analysed the files and ran it against others, followed by an electronic noise of completion.

 

“It...seems like Inspector (l/n) is correct,” Alter Ego said suddenly. “The overwritten file matches one from two days ago perfectly.”

 

“Good thinking, (l/n),” Makoto praised you with an impressed smile.

 

“Oh, um...heheh...it’s nothing,” you protested meekly, rubbing your flushed cheek with a finger. You didn’t want to admit that probably the only reason you even thought of it in the first place was because of your misadventure with Kokichi that morning. Who would have thought that would come in handy at a time like this?

 

“No, your fast thinking is really impressive, Inspector (l/n)!” Alter Ego responded. “I know that may seem strange coming from a computer program, but I really am amazed!”

 

“Well, thank you for saying so...” you murmured. “But...where does it get us? I mean we’re still no closer to the killer...”

 

“No, I have a feeling it might be important,” Makoto answered. “It’s just a feeling but...I think the video footage could hold some kind of clue that we might have missed.”

 

“Do you think it could have been an outside job?” You wondered. “The medical ward is open to all of the staff, but the culprit still went out of their way to erase the footage... They didn’t even want us to know they were here.”

 

“It’s possible, but...how would anyone outside the Bureau even know about Murasame? The information about the incident hasn’t been released to the public,” Makoto responded thoughtfully.

 

For a moment all three of you fell silent, deep in thought. The killer had slipped through your fingers... No witnesses, no security footage... You supposed you would have to place your faith in forensics now. Or perhaps Kyoko would be able to deduce something?

 

You were all so concentrated on the situation at hand that nobody even noticed a shadowy figure sneaking stealthily up behind Makoto.

 

The light of the big screen reflected off the approaching figure’s glasses as they approached.

 

With a flash of steel and a sudden ear piercing cackle, the shadowy figure rushed forwards, arms outstretched and lunged at Makoto.

 

You didn’t even have time to think before the assailant reached over Makoto’s shoulders and held two identical scissor blades up to his neck.

 

You shrieked and jumped violently, while Makoto let out a strangled chocking sound and the sharp blades hovered mere millimetres away from his throat.

 

You whirled around desperately, trying to find something to defend yourself with, as the shadowy figure behind Makoto came into focus.

 

“Toko!?” You shrieked, horrified. “What are you doing!?”

 

The girls pupils had dilated strangely and her tongue lolled out of her mouth, revealing sharp canine teeth.

 

“Toko? Who’s Toko!? Huh, huuuuh?” The girl resembling Toko grinned manically. “That's a loser name! My name is Genocider Syo, your friendly neighbourhood serial killer! It's the wondiferous, murdiferous fiend, here to greet you with a razor-sharp smile!"

 

“Who are you trying to advertise yourself to!?” You yelped. How was something like this happening inside the Public Safety Bureau!? “Wait, no! More importantly, what happened? Who are you? Where’s Toko!?”

 

“What happened is a textbook case of split personality!” Syo exclaimed excitedly. “So what if one of them happens to be a serial killer!? You should turn a blind eye to one's faults! Kyeehahahaha!"

 

Was this Toko’s secret? The reason she was being kept here? When you thought back to this morning, you remembered Kokichi talking to someone you hadn’t seen. Could he have perhaps been talking to Genocider Syo?

 

Makoto trembled slightly, his eyes wide. He seemed to have regained some control however because after a moment he raised a hand to calm you and gave a shaky smile.

 

“Hey Syo...could you maybe...?” He began uncomfortably. 

 

“Hmph... You got balls, asking a favour from the mighty morphin' murderous fiend...” Syo snorted. “I only take orders from Master. But even so I’m not about to get sent away for some kid, even a cutiepie like you! If I'm gonna go down, I want it to be for killing master!"

 

With that she suddenly withdrew her blades again, slipping them back into the holster under her long skirt.

 

Makoto seemed to slump at that, releasing a long sigh of relief. You scrambled over to check if he was okay, carefully brushing your fingers against his neck without thinking.

 

He froze instinctively at your touch and then turned to look at you in surprise, olive eyes widened slightly. The moment your eyes met, you realised how close you were and stumbled back with a cough, face flushing.

 

“A-Ah, I’m sorry...” you apologised sheepishly, bringing your hands up in front of your chest and clutching them together, your fingers still tingling. What was up with this reaction?

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Makoto reassured you with a grateful smile. “I’m fine. She’s just kidding...I think.”

 

“You think...?” You responded dubiously.

 

“Eeeuuurgh! What’s with this sickening display?” Syo exclaimed disgustedly. “Oh well, don't really caaaare! I'd rather spend my time coming up with another splendid fantasy involving Master, anyway!"

 

“Um... Who’s this ‘Master’ you keep mentioning?” You asked suspiciously.

 

“Kyeeehahaha! I’m so glad you asked!” Syo shrieked, sounding ecstatic. "Ahh, strong silent Master Byakuya is so wonderful! So cool, so hot, my loins are ablaze! Ahh, good heavens! My love is being pushed to the limit! Kyeehahaha! I simply could not suffer the existence of someone who would disturb the romance between me and Master Byakuya!"

 

“Byakuya...? The guy from earlier?” You asked in disbelief, shooting a confused glance at Makoto who shrugged with a sheepish smile. His expression told you not to look into that one too hard.

 

Sure Byakuya had a handsome face but from what you could tell of his personality, he seemed a little insufferable. He was the kind of person you could tell was looking down on you constantly. Maybe some girls really were into that kind of thing?

 

“You there, Doe-eyes McGee!” she snapped suddenly, whipping out a pair of scissors from inside her sleeve and pointing them at you. You flinched and took a step back, glancing around.

 

Then after a moment you pointed at yourself nervously and asked: “...me?”

 

“Bit slow on the uptake are we? Don’t see anyone else ‘round here making moony eyes at Macoco Chanel over there!” Syo snapped.

 

“Please stop... It’s not like that,” you protested meekly.

 

“Macoco Chanel?” Makoto repeated, confused.

 

“Well now, with the formalities out the way, where’s Master Byakuya?” Syo demanded, flailing around excitedly, her eyes bright. You kept a nervous eye on the scissors in her hand. “Well speak up! Or do you want me to pop one of those shapely balloons of yours? Well, do ya?”

 

“Um, well...th-that is...” you began to stammer.

 

“Ahah! So you know! Well, come on, spit it out!” Syo added forcefully, taking a step towards you. “Or I’ll cut you up and line you up at the meat counter!”

 

“Hey okay, that’s enough,” Makoto intervened lightly, stepping between you and Syo. “You’re scaring her.”

 

“Ooohh... To get between Master’s love and I... The nerve!” the murderous fiend hissed, chewing on her thumb nail.

 

You were spared from replying when a knock resounded against the door and a moment later Nagito walked in with a sheepish smile.

 

“Ah, excuse me...” he said softly. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

 

“Aaaaugh, whadda you want, you lanky pretty boy?” Syo sneered impatiently. “Spit it out, I got places to be!”

 

“You’re not interrupting,” you added apologetically. “What’s going on, Nagito?”

 

“Ah, well nothing that important... There was a report of suspicious behaviour in the shopping district and they want us to send someone over,” Nagito explained, sounding apologetic.

 

“Huh...? But I’m already...”

 

“Don’t worry, (l/n),” Makoto reassured you. “I’ll take care of things here. You go on ahead.”

 

“Ah, but...” you trailed off, shooting a nervous glance at Syo, who appeared to be admiring a pair of scissors, holding them up to the light. Was it really okay to leave Makoto with her like this?

 

She seemed to notice and gave you a deceptively innocent smile, and said: “Oh don’t mind me! I’ll just be on my way...”

 

“Huh? Where are you going?” you asked, confused.

 

“Why to find Master Byakuya of course!” Syo cheered. “He’s nearby, I can smell it! Kyeeahahaha!”

 

With that she rushed out of the room before anyone could make a move to stop her, and left the door swinging back in its hinges a couple of seconds later. The room fell completely silent.

 

“Ah... I guess that’s that...” Makoto laughed nervously. “Sorry Byakuya...”

 

“Ah, poor Togami...” Nagito sighed heavily. “It’s lonely to see someone I admire so much in such a hopeless situation...”

 

“I’m glad I got to meet him before he went,” you agreed, and the two of you bowed your heads.

 

“Why are you two talking like he’s dead?” Makoto asked, scratching his cheek with an index finger.

 

“A-Anyway, I guess I should head off then,” you continued. “Nagito...?”

 

“Ah, right,” he agreed. “Let’s go.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another of the prewritten chapters! I’m trying to go through them all and edit them so I can upload them soon and get back up to date. Thanks everyone for reading!
> 
> -ButterFlyEffect


	7. High Speed

“Hey Miu...you’re drawing too much attention to us,” you mumbled nervously at the girl who sat across from you.

The two of you were sitting outside a small cafe in the shopping district, keeping a lookout for suspicious behaviour, but as far as you could tell, the only suspicious behaviour was coming from your two companions. 

Miu had grown bored while waiting and had taken various tools out of her pockets, lining them up and beginning to tinker with something at the table. You had no idea what she was making but it was swiftly growing in size, making you uncomfortably conspicuous in the relaxed atmosphere of the shopping district. 

Kokichi was sitting a few paces away on the wall of a fountain in the centre of the district square, swinging his legs and happily eating an ice cream. Some of the ice cream had somehow gotten onto the end of his nose without him noticing and he had a suspiciously wide grin on his face. 

“Did you say somethin’, sour-tits?” Miu snapped after a moment, pushing her goggles up into her hair and glaring at you. You squirmed a little. How did Kyoko handle these guys so calmly?

A middle-aged couple at a nearby table turned and glared at the two of you and you smiled back apologetically, sinking lower in your seat.

“Well, it’s just...”

“Excuse me... Can I get you two ladies anything else?” 

You glanced up at the unfamiliar voice. The young waitress had come back while you were waiting and was smiling expectantly at you, though there was a slight edge in her voice that told you the two of you were pushing your luck. You had been sitting here for a while after all and you had long since finished your coffee and slice of cake. 

“Oh...um...another coffee please,” You asked reluctantly, wincing at the thought of the price.

“D’you guys have any alcohol?” Miu added rudely. 

“I’m afraid not, miss. This is a dessert cafe... Will that be all?” the waitress responded with a clipped smile, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. 

You nodded quickly before Miu could make any more demands and the waitress left again, leaving Miu muttering curses away to herself about the lack of options and how being here was a waste of her precious time.

You sighed and turned to glance at Kokichi. He seemed content at least. Well, that ice cream had come out of your wallet after all... And definitely not because he’d looked pleadingly up at you with his adorable puppy eyes. Not at all.

He caught your glance and grinned cheekily at you. 

The holographic water in the fountain behind him caught the light, shimmering in the sunlight. 

You sighed and looked back at the empty plate in front of you. You’d been here for what seemed like an age. 

Nagito had told you about a tip someone had called in of a suspicious person in the shopping district but that was almost two hours ago now. It seemed unlikely that whoever it was would still be here. 

Nevertheless you kept your eyes open, keeping a close eye on your surroundings while also trying to keep tabs on the two enforcers.

You wondered why Kyoko had suggested taking Miu and Kokichi along for this mission. They were by far the most difficult to control and rarely listened to anything you said. They were both intelligent and impressive out in the field but they hardly seemed like the kind of people you’d want on a stake out. Was Kyoko expecting something to happen? Or did she just want to test you to see how you handled the situation? Either way, you felt troubled.

You wished she’d sent Nagito along with you, as he was calmer and more obedient, but Kyoko seemed to rely on him to an extent. While she may not entirely trust him, she seemed to at least have confidence in his abilities. 

After a moment the waitress returned, setting down another cup of hot, milky coffee. You smiled apologetically and thanked her. She nodded and left the two of you in silence again.

“Miu...?” You tried again. 

“What is it, dumpy-tits? You better have a damn good reason for buggin’ THIS beautiful genius!” Iruma snapped. 

“D-Dumpy-tits?” You stammered. Just bear with it for now...

“Hmph, you got no boobs and nothin’ interestin’ to say!” Miu added impatiently. “You’re fuckin’ hopeless!”

“That’s enough, Miu,” you ordered sharply, the authority in your voice surprising even you. “You’re causing a scene.”

“Hiiieeeeee!?”

Her demeanour changed immediately and she flinched, shrinking away from you and shivering slightly.

“Wh-What the...!? Don’t get mad at me all of a sudden...” the inventor stammered. “You know how fuckin’ rude that is?”

“The only one being rude here is you,” you responded coldly.

“Huh?” Miu’s eyes widened. “Oh, I get it. You’re jealous of my fine, sexy body! Kyahahaha! Well, that’s understandable! A woman can’t get anywhere in life unless she’s got big tits!”

“I’m here because of my grades... You know, there are some things that are best left unsaid,” you reminded her mildly. 

“Fuck that! I’m Miu fuckin’ Iruma and I’ll say whatever I goddamn fuckin’ want!”

“But...aren’t you lonely with an attitude like that?” You asked. “It pushes people away, you know.”

“Fine by me! A true genius is never understood in her time,” Miu answered proudly. “This beautiful girl genius doesn’t need something like friends wastin’ her time!”

“That tells me everything I need to know,” you sighed. “What about the other enforcers? How do you get on with them?”

“H-Huh? Why...why are you grilling me all of a sudden?” Miu stammered.

“Miu... Do you actually want to talk to people?” You asked. 

“Huh? I’m talkin’ to you right now,” she sneered. “Are your ears as worthless as that flat chest of yours?”

“Ah, see, that’s what I’m talking about,” you pointed out. “Why do you always say more than you need to?”

You sounded a lot calmer and more confident at the moment than you felt. You were attempting to do what Miaya did almost subconsciously, trying to understand Miu, make her examine her own behaviour. Maybe it was spending so much time with Miaya that had made you able to try and understand Miu, but you were certain that you weren’t doing anywhere near as well as she would with Miu. You hoped the analysing curiosity in your gaze might quieten Miu down a little, and indeed it did seem to make her nervous. She fidgeted under your stare.

“Wh-What do you mean, more than I need to...?” she stammered, cowering away from you. 

“You’re saying stuff that could really hurt people’s feelings,” you told her. “Why are you pushing people away?”

“Hey, I’m just sayin’ what I’m already thinkin’!” the inventor responded unfeelingly. “Nothin’ I say is wasted words!”

“That makes it worse,” you answered. “That’s exactly what a little kid would do.”

“Do you even know who I am!?” Miu snapped irritably. “When you’re Miu fuckin’ Iruma, you can get away with sayin’ all kinds of awful shit! Hoo-yeah! Cuz I fuckin’ rule!”

“But do you have any friends with an attitude like that?” You asked a little more sharply. Why did she seem to have an unpleasant response to just about anything anyone said to her?

“H-Huh...? S...So what if I don’t...?” Miu mumbled. 

You were quiet for a moment, regarding her. You almost felt sorry for her. Did she really just have no filter on her thoughts? She needed to learn that nothing she did could give her a free pass to say whatever she wanted. 

“H-Hey! It’s not like I don’t have any friends!” Miu snapped defensively. “I just don’t talk to plebs like you, is all!”

“Well...when you’re like that, it’s obvious to see why you don’t get along with others,” you told her. “You should really knock off that bad habit, you know?”

“Shut up! I don’t need you worrying about me!” Miu snapped.

“Well, I am!” You insisted. “You’re my teammate now, so it’s only right for me to worry about you.”

“Eh...?” Miu squeaked. Her cheeks reddened slightly. 

“If you keep acting like this...you won’t be able to enjoy life to the fullest,” you explained.

“Ha, hahaha... The hell are you talkin’ about?” Miu stammered weakly. “I’m an inventor, remember?”

“But even so, everyone needs friends,” you pointed out. “Right now, you’re only useful to those who need your inventions. Don’t you want to form any proper bonds?”

“Hnngh!? You just hit me below the belt...” Miu whimpered. “Right in the lady-balls...”

“Anyway, what I’m saying is that you need to get used to talking to people normally,” you moved on quickly before she could say anything else. 

Miu was silent for a couple of moments.

“Hmph...well...your meddling is unnecessary...even creepy...but I guess I’m sorta grateful,” Miu mumbled. 

“Hmm? What was that?” You asked with a knowing smile. 

“N-Nothing! I said that maybe I’ll invent a gadget to breathe some life into that chest of yours! Hah-haha!” Miu laughed obnoxiously.

“Did you learn anything from what I just said...?” You asked tiredly. What were you going to do with this girl?

An idea had popped into your head already, but you were a little hesitant. You knew that you were taking a big risk and that in the long run this would be a terrible blow to your self-esteem... But if you could help someone, maybe it would be worth it?

“Hey...Miu,” you began seriously.

She sobered up immediately and flinched a little. “Wh-What is it?”

“I’ll be your friend,” you offered before you had the chance to second guess yourself. “But I have a condition.”

“F-Friends...with you?” Miu stammered disbelievingly. Her eyes were wide. “Wh-What makes you think I want to be friends with a pleb like you...?”

Despite her words there seemed to be something in her eyes almost resembling relief or happiness. 

“Ah, never mind then,” you responded dismissively, bringing your mug to your lips and taking a sip of coffee. “Forget I said anything.”

That seemed to have the desired effect. The light in Miu’s eyes snuffed out and she seemed to panic.

“W-Wait!” she exclaimed.

You set your mug down and looked expectantly at her. Miu fidgeted under your gaze and after a moment she muttered: “Wh-What condition?” 

“I want you to try and get along with your teammates,” you told her. “That’s my condition.”

“Th-That’s all?” she responded suspiciously. “Whatever... You want me to get on with those shit-for-brains, a beautiful girl genius like me can do that easily! But don’t expect me to get into all of that self-help and shit.”

“Okay,” you agreed. “That’s good enough for now.”

It was at that moment your earpiece suddenly crackled to life and you heard Kokichi’s voice cackle in your ear: “I spy a suspicious person, and for once it isn’t Miu! There, behind that pillar.”

“Why that little-“ Miu made a move to stand up and stomp towards Kokichi, but you stopped her with a hand.

“Miu,” you snapped warningly.

“Eek! Sorry!” she yelped, immediately sitting back down. 

You glanced up and followed Kokichi’s gaze. Towards the back of the square, behind one of the pillars supporting a roof to keep the rain out of the shopping square, you could see movement. 

It was the darkest corner of the shopping area, covered in holograms of flowers and trees. Standing in the hologram was a young man in a suit, clutching a brown bag fearfully to his chest. He was glancing around suspiciously, bright eyes peeking nervously out from underneath sandy shoulder length hair. He was tensed, alert and you could tell he was preparing to make a dash for one of the exits. 

It was as you were regarding him that he glanced around once more and accidentally made eye contact with you from across the square. Even from where you were sitting you could see his eyes widen in shock and perhaps recognition, because despite the fact you didn’t remember ever seeing him before, he seemed afraid of you. 

For a second he froze like a deer in the headlights and then before you even had time to move, he made a dash, tearing across the square towards one of the smaller side streets.

“Kokichi,” you ordered. 

“Yes, Inspector~!” the boy responded and bounced to his feet, literally tossing what was left of his ice cream over his shoulder and sprinting after the unnamed young man at high speed.

“Miu,” you then added and rushed off after the two of them, leaving the inventor sitting by herself at the table for a moment in confusion.

Then she cursed loudly, and moved to stand up, her chair scraping against the paved floor as she prepared to run after you, when someone caught her arm.

Furiously she turned around to glare at whoever had grabbed her and snapped: “The fuck do you want!?”

She came face to face with the waitress from earlier, who gave her a tight-lipped smile and reminded Miu: “Miss, I’m afraid you haven’t paid yet.”

“That’s what your wastin’ my precious time about!?” Miu snapped, yanking her arm away and tossing her wallet at the waitress, who caught it reflexively and glanced down at the item in her hands. 

“Keep the change!” Miu yelled over her shoulder, already off. Her blonde hair whipped wildly behind her as she ran. 

The waitress merely sighed and placed the wallet on a tray, before beginning to clean up the table. She noted that you had left an almost full mug of coffee on the table and rolled her eyes.

“What a waste,” she muttered. 

******

You tore down the streets at high speed after Kokichi, who you assumed was in turn chasing the suspicious young man. You couldn’t see the man, but following Kokichi’s distinctive jacket in the crowd was easier than spotting a young man in a suit, of which a short glance around would have given you several.

“Don’t lose him, Ko,” you panted into your headpiece to Kokichi.

“Aww man... I’m always losing stuff,” he grumbled in response, not even sounding slightly winded. “Just kidding! I’ve never lost anything in my life.”

“Just keep your eyes on him!” you exclaimed. “Miu, come in!”

“You seriously fuckin’ owe me, bitch-monkey!” the girls abrasive voice could be heard in your ear.

“What did I tell you about- Never mind, that’s not important right now!” You responded. “We’re following him towards the Main Street. Try and head him off!”

You remembered that there was a street fair on today and panicked slightly. If the man managed to slip into such a large crowd of people, you’d never find him. 

“Hmph, usually it’s some suspicious guy chasing after me,” Miu responded. “Oh how the tables have fuckin’ turned.”

You dodged and weaved through the many pedestrians in the shopping area, taking a side street down in the hopes of gaining some ground on the suspicious stranger.

You scaled the fence at the end of the alley with ease, hopping into the next street, much to the fright of several nearby pedestrians and tore off again, in the direction you had last seen him.

“Hey, hey! We should have codenames,” Kokichi spoke through your earpiece. “Inspector (l/n) is waaaaay too long.”

“Good idea,” Miu interrupted your signal. “You can be pleb 1 and pleb 2.”

“Nice,” Kokichi responded. “And you can be Cum Dumpster Supreme.”

“Hiiiie!?”

“Focus, you two!” You exclaimed.

“You sound tired, Inspector!” Kokichi pointed out. “Could it be that you’re not getting enough exercise? Just kidding! People who play sports everyday must have a screw loose or something.”

“Don’t fuckin’ talk to me about loose screws,” Miu retorted.

Had you not been using all of your energy to keep running, you would have pinched your nose in exasperation. Even now those two couldn’t cooperate.

You squinted ahead through the people walking up and down the street, a sandy-coloured head catching your attention. 

“Kokichi, I see him!” You gasped. There was a pause in which you assumed he was checking your location.

“Gotcha,” he said suddenly and a couple of yards ahead a short lithe figure dressed in white suddenly pounced out of one of the side streets, barrelling into the young man and knocking him flat on his front. The bag he had been clutching to his chest flew threw the air and landed with a thud a couple of metres away, rolling to a stop. 

The commotion at that moment was so loud and chaotic that nobody besides the captured young man noticed a nondescript figure in a hoodie part themselves from the crowd of bystanders and scoop up the bag, once again disappearing into the flow of the crowd, the bag clutched firmly in their arms.

Gasping for air you sprinted towards the centre of the crowd that was quickly forming, pushing past the tightly packed civilians watching the scene unfold.

Kokichi was perched on the young man’s back, holding his arms behind him, looking extremely proud of himself.

“Excuse me,” you announced to the crowd. “Please stand back. Public Safety Bureau.”

You held your badge up for them to see. There were a couple of murmurs, but the crowd shuffled back slightly and you called over a nearby helper bot.

“How may I help you today, Inspector?” the bot asked obediently. 

You nodded towards the figure Kokichi was holding against the ground, still slightly winded. “I want a name and his crime coefficient.”

“Right away,” the robot agreed and after a moment added: “Ryota Mitarai. Profession: Animator. Crime coefficient: 92. Sir, I am going to have to ask you to come with us.”

“Wait, no, please!” The young man who you now knew to be Ryota protested. “I’ve done nothing wrong! I was asked to deliver a package, I swear-“

“I’m sorry,” you apologised. “We just need to ask you for a statement for now. You’re going to have to come with us to the Bureau.”

“No, please,” Ryota protested, beginning to struggle before the bot quickly restrained him, allowing Kokichi to stand up and stretch contentedly, looking satisfied.

“Take him to the Bureau,” you ordered the bot. “We’ll investigate around here for a little longer.”

“As you wish,” the robot agreed. 

“Please hold on...” Ryota protested weakly. 

“If you haven’t done anything wrong then you have nothing to worry about...riiiiight?” Kokichi pointed out. “If you struggle, you’ll just make it sooo much worse for yourself.”

Ryota hung his head, seemingly having accepted the situation. Perhaps he had simply decided that trying to escape at this point wasn’t worth it anymore.

“Kokichi,” you spoke up. “See if you can find out what happened to that bag he was holding.”

“Yes, Inspector~!”

“Y-You won’t find it here anymore...” Ryota stammered as he was led away, just loudly enough for you to hear. 

“What do you mean?” you frowned confusedly. “Wait, hold on!”

The bot paused in place, allowing you to step towards Ryota and ask again: “What do you mean we won’t find it here? You had it just a moment ago...” 

Ryota shook his head fearfully, and twitched nervously as you brought up the bag.

He swallowed thickly. “I-I was asked to deliver a package to a certain place at a certain time... The package...has been r...received.”

You regarded him for a moment. He squirmed under your gaze, glancing timidly about as if searching desperately for any kind of distraction.

“Who?” You asked quietly, leaning in. “Who asked you to deliver that package? What’s inside?” 

Ryota swallowed and looked at his feet. He trembled nervously, looking so distraught that you almost felt sorry for him. But you had to stay firm.

“Mitarai...” you tried again. “If something dangerous is inside that package, then people might get hurt because of your actions. Don’t you want to help them?” 

“I-I do...” he stammered pleadingly, his eyes flicking watchfully from side to side. 

“Then what’s inside that package?” you tried again, scrutinising him. You were starting to fear the worst. Could it be a bomb? Some kind of chemical weapon? 

Ryota went quiet again.

“Mitarai...what’s inside the package? I won’t ask again,” you insisted.

“It’s...” He swallowed again and a cold shiver seemed to go down his spine. “...a video tape.”

“Huh...?” You paused. A video tape? That’s what this was all about? You watched Ryota’s face carefully. He was fidgeting and fearful, but he didn’t appear to be lying. You couldn’t be certain of course, but he didn’t have any reason to lie at this point. Or so you thought. 

“Okay, then... What’s on this...video tape?” You asked. 

Once again he clamped up and took a step back, looking at the ground. 

“Mitarai... _What’s on that tape?”_

“I-I don’t know!” He stammered. He was sweating bullets at this point. “Security footage, I think! I...I don’t know...”

“Security footage... This is important. Who asked you to deliver this and why?” you continued to grill him. He didn’t seem to have a very forceful personality, so you were certain that with enough time you’d be able to get the truth out of him, but he was scared for some reason. Absolutely scared to death. It would be hard to get much sense out of him in this state. 

“Mitarai... I can tell you’re not a bad person at heart,” you continued. “I know you want to help people. I also know that you’re scared. But you have to tell me, who asked you to deliver that package?”

Up until that point he had been fidgeting and avoiding your gaze, but at that question he froze up on the spot entirely, his eyes widening in fear. His breath was ragged and quick like an animal caught in a trap. You could tell in that moment that this man was afraid, and not just for his reputation but for his life. 

Suddenly he reached forward and grabbed your shoulder with one of his cuffed hands and dug his nails onto the fabric of your jacket. He was shivering and sweating and his eyes were bright and wild as he stared pleadingly at you.

The bot moved to protect you but you stopped it with a wave of your arm. 

“Please, you have to help me!” Ryota pleaded, his voice hoarse. “They’ll find me! I’ll tell you everything I know, but you have to take me somewhere safe!” 

“Who? Who’ll find you?” You asked, momentarily confused. 

“Please, I’ll tell you everything,” Ryota promised desperately. “But please keep me somewhere safe!” 

You sighed. “Alright,” you agreed. “If we agree to keep you under close guard at all times, will you come with us and tell us everything?”

“I’ll do anything,” he responded, pulling his arms away from you and looking at his feet. “I...I don’t want to die...”

Your eyes widened. He really was afraid for his very life. 

You took a step back and told the bot: “Take him into isolation at the Bureau. Explain the situation.” 

“As you wish,” the bot agreed. 

“Thank you...” Ryota breathed, almost in tears of relief. “Thank you...”

“Remember our deal, Mitarai,” you responded as the bot once again began to lead him away. Ryota nodded and kept his head low as the bot took him away. 

You shook your head to clear it. Bystanders were beginning to disperse, leaving you standing in the middle of the pedestrian street, feeling a little shaky. 

The adrenaline of the situation had worn off and you suddenly felt exhausted. It was as though the calm, authoritative person you had been only minutes ago had dropped away completely.

You could see Kokichi moving about on the lookout for any further signs of suspicious activity or someone clutching a familiar brown bag, but as you watched him listlessly, looking but not really seeing, a thought suddenly occurred to you.

You activated your headpiece and tentatively asked: “Miu?”

You waited. Any moment now her voice would come in, abrasive and rude like always, mad at you for running off all of a sudden. 

You waited for a couple of seconds. When there was no response, you tried again: “Miu? Please respond.” 

A couple of paces away, Kokichi had paused, listening in. There was an odd expression on his face as the two of you stood still amongst the crowds of pedestrians moving around you, waiting. 

“Hey, Cum Dumpster!” Kokichi added after a moment. “I know I told you to keep your filthy mouth shut but this is important. Or is your mouth as useless as the rest of you?”

You winced a little at his wording, but you supposed it may do the trick. You expected her furious voice to crackle to life at any moment, yelling deafeningly into your ear, but there was only horrible silence. 

“Miu please, you’re worrying me...” you murmured. There was a sinking feeling in your chest. Your heart was beginning to thud painfully against your rib cage. Why did you have such a bad feeling about this? Maybe she had simply lost her ear piece.

But as always seemed to be the case in such situations, you knew deep down that this wasn’t the case. Something had happened and was preventing Miu from responding.

As it turned out, it wouldn’t be long before your suspicions would be confirmed.

******

Miu cursed to herself. She wasn’t cut out for running. Her talents lay mainly in her golden brains and gorgeous appearance after all. This kind of exertion was below her.

She was following Kokichi and Inspector (f/n)’s movements on the home-made GPS system she had been fiddling with at the cafe and doing her best to head off the suspicious young man from earlier in an attempt to drive him into a corner, but she was growing tired and irritated. 

As she ran, she couldn’t help but think back to (f/n)’s words from earlier: _“I’ll be your friend.”_

She couldn’t deny that the words had shocked her. And there was something else as well. A warm sappy feeling that she instantly tried to dispel. Who did (f/n) think she was? Up until just that week Miu had been doing fine by herself, without some meddling inspector’s help. 

(F/n) had struck a nerve when she had asked about Miu’s relationships with her peers. Much though she was reluctant to admit it, especially to a useless and overbearing person like (f/n), she didn’t have any friends. The main interactions she received was when Kokichi insulted her. And although she would grow angry every time, a part of her always felt pleased at the attention. Even an exchange such as an argument made her happy. Was she really that lonely?

That was why (f/n)’s patience and friendliness threw her off. Couldn’t she tell that Miu wanted nothing to do with her? She had never needed anyone else and she didn’t now. She was fine being by herself and her big mouth pushed away anyone who attempted to get close to her. 

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t notice when someone shot out of a street beside her, almost knocking into her. 

Miu stumbled and skidding to a clumsy halt, whipping around to glare at whoever had cut her off so suddenly.

She was surprised however to come face to face with a striking blonde girl, not much younger than herself. Her blue eyes were bright and wide, and the girl’s bottom lip trembled in what looked like fear. 

Her hair was done up in twin pigtails, and her red skirt was just a little too short. She had a prominent chest as well, much to Miu’s annoyance and was wearing a low cut black blazer over a white shirt. A black and white tie hung loosely from her neck and her features were so delicate and doll-like that it made Miu want to punch the girl straight in the face. 

Some people just had it all. 

“The fuck do you think you’re goin’?” Miu snapped angrily, sizing up to the girl.

“Oh, thank goodness I found someone!” the girl gasped, blue eyes shining. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest. “Please, you have to help me! I...I was attacked by suspicious man...”

Her blue eyes watered. She looked up at Miu pleadingly and her lips parted enticingly. Miu could feel herself growing more and more irritated, but the girl’s words had caught her attention.

“You better not be wastin’ my precious time, dumpy-tits,” Miu snapped. “What suspicious man?”

“Dumpy-tits?” The girl repeated, sounding offended. 

Miu wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose. Didn’t this girl have more important things to be worrying about right now? Maybe she just wasn’t used to being insulted. With looks like that, Miu doubted it was a regular occurrence after all. Of course even this girl was nothing compared to Miu golden brains and perfect body, she reminded herself. 

“Whatever! Just fuckin’ tell me what you saw already!” Miu snapped. 

For a moment she thought she saw something wicked pass through the girl’s eyes at that, but it was gone so quickly that she couldn’t be sure. 

“But shouldn’t we go and get help?” The blonde girl asked, walking up and clasping one of Miu’s hands in two of hers. Miu found herself glancing away under the intensity of her electric blue stare. 

“Don’t bother,” she answered brusquely. “I’m with the Public Safety Bureau.”

“You are?” the girl asked. “That’s wonderful! What a despairingly fateful encounter!”

She didn’t seem surprised in the slightest at Miu’s announcement, and didn’t seem to show any doubt towards the inventor either. Perhaps she really was just as stupid as she looked, or maybe she had already known. Miu couldn’t be sure which, but she was growing increasingly suspicious of the girl. Well, whatever... This was one girl. Miu had handled worse before and she was certain she could deal with whatever was thrown at her. 

Apart from anything else... She was imagining the look on Kokichi’s face should she manage to chase the suspect down before him. Maybe Inspector (f/n) would even recognise her for her true genius. 

Though she would never admit it to herself, deep down she was insecure. She was afraid of being useless, of being taken back to isolation, away from all the people she had grown used to. If that happened, she wouldn’t be able to argue with Kokichi anymore...wouldn’t be able to insult Nagito, wouldn’t be scolded by Kyoko or her father...wouldn’t be praised by Makoto or (f/n)...

“Whatever, dumpy-tits,” Miu muttered. “Just hurry up and take me to where you last saw that creep.”

“Oh, you would do that for little old me?” the girl beamed, her eyes sparkling. “You’re so much more reliable than you look!”

It took Miu a couple of seconds to realise that this was a thinly veiled insult. But all it did was make her more determined to prove herself.

“Shut the fuck up and let’s go,” the inventor growled, glaring at the girl. 

“Yes of course,” the other smiled sweetly. “Follow me.” 

******

“Where the fuck are we?” Miu asked frustratedly. She moved to check her GPS but before she could the girl, who called herself Junko, reached out and grabbed her arm in an exaggerated gesture of nerves. 

She was growing increasingly suspicious of Junko as the two of them walked further and further away from the centre of the shopping area. It was as though the girl was leading her as far out of the way as she possibly could. 

Already Miu was beginning to doubt her resolve and consider turning back. Junko seemed to sense this however and told her: “It was just around the corner.”

Still grabbing onto Miu’s arm, as though to stop her from trying to run away, she rounded the corner, tugging Miu along with her. 

The thin alley way was dark and dingy, with unfamiliar shadows poking at the edges of Miu’s vision. It was also blocked off at the end by a wall, cutting out any light source from the next street. There was a slight smell of mould and heaps of rubbish littered the place.

And right at the back of the street, leaned up against the far wall...

“Oh _fuck_ ,” Miu cussed disbelievingly. At the end of the alley, propped up against the wall, was a body. She had been right. She had allowed herself to be lured straight into a trap. 

She only hoped it wasn’t something she couldn’t handle. She reached for the dominator strapped to her leg beneath her skirt. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” Junko sang. 

Before Miu could pull out her dominator or even retort, there was a rush of air and something whipped past her. Her wrist suddenly felt cold and there was a flash of pain up her arm. Something warm and wet spurted against her leg. 

Cold dread, more intense than anything Miu had ever felt suddenly opened up a pit in her stomach. Her legs wobbled. 

Slowly, confusedly, Miu began to raise her arm to take a look. 

“Wh...What...?” she stammered I’m disbelief. Her brain was unable to comprehend what she was seeing. It just didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t possible. 

At the end of her arm, where her hand was meant to be...was empty space. Her arm cut off suddenly at her wrist, a bloody yet cleanly sliced stump. It didn’t make any sense... 

Miu attempted to wriggle her non existent fingers, but all that happened was a new rush of thick, sticky blood from the end of her arm.

Adrenaline was pumping through her body, so intense that it had become painful. Her heart pounded against her chest. For some reason however, her right arm felt entirely numb. She knew that it should be hurting worse than anything she had ever experienced at that moment, but the adrenaline was keeping it at bay. 

“You...You bitch...” Miu wheezed slowly. She felt cold and weak all of a sudden. Had she lost too much blood?

She was dimly aware that there was now another person in the alley with her besides Junko, but her vision was swimming too much to get a proper grasp on the newcomers features. 

“Hmph, you’re getting slow, Mukuru,” Junko taunted disgustedly. 

“H-Huh...? I am?” a second voice spoke up uncertainly. “But...”

“If I say you’ve gotten slower, then you’ve gotten slower! Stinky, flat-chested perverts only good for killing people should keep their filthy mouth shut!”

“Stinky, flat-chested...” Mukuru repeated, sounding almost happy at being insulted. 

“D-Don’t mess with me...” Miu stammered. “What’s wrong with you two? Did you escape from your bitch-monkey enclosure?”

“Huh? Look at that, she can still talk...” Junko observed. 

“Should I cut her tongue out, sis?” Mukuru suggested tentatively. She had short dark hair, and wasn’t much to look at, especially compared to her sister. Miu curled her lip in contempt.

“Oh Mukuru... You’re just as hopeless as ever!” Junko only laughed patronisingly in response. “Don’t bother. Where she’s going, it won’t matter either way! Upupupu...”

“You’ve...got a lot of nerve...taking on this girl genius,” Miu breathed, glaring at the two girls through her hair.

With her left hand, Miu reached for her dominator, drawing it as fast as she could and aiming it at Junko, finger on the trigger.

She wasn’t as used to firing with her left hand, but as long as she had the dominator, it would do most of the work for her. Blood was rushing in her ears. Her heart felt ready to explode out of her rib cage.

“Got anything else to say, dumpy-tits?” Miu smirked confidently, as she hovered the gun at Junko.

“Sis!” Mukuru exclaimed, falling into a fighting stance and whipping a blade out of her sleeve. She didn’t move however, for fear that Miu might shoot.

Junko didn’t even flinch, nor did she look worried in the slightest. She only smiled sweetly back at Miu as the enforcer held the dominator to her. This threw Miu off a little, and she hesitated, keeping the gun trained on the girl. 

Why wasn’t she afraid? This dominator could easily blow her to smithereens. 

It wasn’t long before Miu discovered why. 

_‘Crime coefficient: 0. Target not a threat. Trigger locked.’_

“What!?” Miu exclaimed in disbelief. That was impossible! This girl was trying to kill her... How could her crime coefficient be at zero? That was extremely unusual, even for someone below the average coefficient.

This moment of hesitation and bewilderment was all Junko needed. 

“Mukuru,” she ordered, and the other girl snapped into action.

Miu gasped and made a move to dodge but had barely moved an inch when something flitted past her. This time there was a sudden feeling of icy cold at her throat and an involuntary choking sound erupted from her. 

Miu wobbled and coughed. Blood was bubbling up inside her mouth. She made a strangled, gurgling sound and spat a wad of thick blood onto the ground at her feet.

She found herself fighting for breath and tried to suck in a breath of air, but to no avail. She tried to say something in her panic, but only a low moan would come out.

Miu clutched desperately at her throat, trying to stop the bleeding. But she wasn’t stupid, she knew what had happened. 

Mukuru had cut her wind pipe.

The inventor convulsed in an involuntary shudder and fell to her knees on the dirty, paved ground and then collapsed face first into the puddle in front of her. 

Her vision was beginning to fade and swim away. 

Through the haze, she could barely make out Junko’s voice: “Yuck! That is so not cool... I’m heading back first, so go ahead and clean this mess up.”

“Huh? But sis...”

“Shut up and do what I tell you! Smelly! Ugly! Stupid!” 

“Smelly...ugly...stupid...” Mukuru counted off. “It’s all there.” 

‘Masochistic bitch,’ Miu thought to herself as the remainder of her life force ebbed away, sleeping out into the puddle below, clouding it red. 

Just before everything slipped away into oblivion and Miu Iruma ceased to exist, a final two regrets popped into her head.

One was not getting the chance to become (f/n)’s friend. 

And the other...

Was not giving Kokichi Ouma a really hard slap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miu: why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the little bitch’s house knock knock  
> Reader: who’s there  
> Miu: the chicken


	8. Discovery

The first thing you thought to do was call Toko. Nagito had mentioned before that all enforcers had a tracking device on them, allowing the inspectors to follow their every move. 

You also knew it was something that Miu resented. It wasn’t something she could change however, and she had known better than to resist it. 

The call went through and rang a couple of times before Toko grudgingly picked up, glaring at you through the holographic screen. 

“Wh-What do you want?”

For a moment you completely forgot what you were going to say, important though it was. Toko was surrounded by plates of food, with a pile of empty plates already piling up behind her. She was eating ravenously and only briefly paused to look up when you called. 

“T-Toko, um...” You stammered. 

“W-Well? What is it? Is your mind as thin as your body or something?” The bespectacled girl snapped rudely.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kokichi interrupted, looking over your shoulder. “You’re getting fat.”

You were about to turn around and scold him but Toko’s response surprised you: “Really? You think so?” 

She sounded strangely happy about that. 

Kokichi turned to you and whined: “Inspector (f/n), do something! She’s creeping me ooooout!”

“Um... Toko, what are you doing, exactly?” You asked, scratching your cheek.

“I-Isn’t it obvious?” Toko stammered, as though you were an idiot for not understanding. “Master Byakuya said he...l-likes a girl to have some meat o-on her bones, so... I'm g-gonna start eating! I'm gonna force it d-down into my stomach! I'm gonna eat till I d-drop!”

“He probably just means that you should regularly eat healthy...” you pointed out sheepishly.

“Nishishishi! He’s totally playing you!” Kokichi chuckled. “And I thought you were meant to be smart!” 

“Sh-Shut up! I am smart!” Toko argued. “A-And I think I know M-Master Byakuya better than you do!” 

“Jeez, you’re annoying...” Kokichi sighed impatiently. 

“W-Well I already know I'm annoying. I came here kn-knowing that, so...that makes it o-okay..." Toko grumbled defensively. 

“Ah, never mind that!” you recalled suddenly. “Toko, I need you to get a read on Miu! We’ve lost her.”

“H-How do you lose a whole person!?” Toko protested. “Wait, n-never mind that! Can’t it wait? I’m in the m-middle of something right n-now.”

“No, it really can’t,” Kokichi answered. “Hurry up and do something useful already. The whole team already thinks you’re useless anyway.”

“What? Th-They do?” Toko responded, chewing her thumbnail. “W-Well, that doesn’t matter to me! S-So long as I can be useful to Master Byakuya, th-then...”

“I’ll bring you doughnuts?” you suggested. 

“O-Okay...give me a minute,” Toko sighed reluctantly. She put the call on hold for a moment and disappeared. 

“Hey, hey! I want doughnuts too!” Kokichi protested, bawling his hands into fists. 

“I’ll buy you both doughnuts,” you promised absentmindedly, without considering the consequences of what buying doughnuts for Kokichi might be. 

The boy smiled. He was preparing to ask you for the biggest box of sugary treats he could find. 

A second later Toko returned. “I-I’m sending her location to your GPS,” she muttered. “I-Is that everything? I’m busy.”

“Thanks Toko, you’ve been a big help,” you assured her, glaring at Kokichi in an attempt to silence him. He only gave you a deceptive smile.

“Wh-Whatever... Don’t forget our deal,” Toko responded and hung up. 

“My beloved Toko is always full of so many smiles!” Kokichi beamed.

“That’s a pretty bad inferiority complex she has...” you observed. 

“So what? You can’t help everyone y’know,” Kokichi pointed out. “If you try, then you’re just making things harder for yourself! ...Just kidding! It’s not like I really care about your wellbeing.” 

You sighed. “It’s true I can’t help everyone... For example, I don’t get you at all.”

“Oh? But you help me just by being my underling,” Kokichi beamed innocently.

“When did I become your underling?” you muttered, pulling up your GPS. 

Toko had marked Miu’s location on the map, but as you zoomed in, you frowned in confusion and tried to get your bearings.

“Nishishi... Looks like that idiot ran in the wrong direction!” Kokichi snickered, leaning over your shoulder. “She’s so useless.”

“But this doesn’t make sense,” you protested. “She ran in the completely opposite direction. Why?”

“Maybe she got lost?” Kokichi suggested unhelpfully, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s not uncommon for her to make a mistake, after all. Her whole existence was a mistake!”

“Do you always talk about others like that?” You asked disapprovingly. 

“I'm an evil supreme leader, remember? I always say bad stuff!” 

“At the very least you’re self-aware...” you sighed. “Come on, let’s go.”

The two of you began to hurry back the way you had came, weaving through the crowd. It was a busy day and the weather was warm, making you feel uncomfortably hot. Usually you loved the sunshine, but for some reason right now it seemed humid and oppressive. 

Kokichi had grabbed your hand and was walking along ahead of you, childishly pulling you after him to avoid separation. His hands were warm and surprisingly delicate, yet calloused in places. You didn’t question it and simply followed his lead, grateful that he seemed to know where he was going. He apparently knew this area quite well. You couldn’t help but remember back to his file, which had mentioned his time living on the streets with a group of other kids. You supposed they might have frequented this place.

The route you took eventually led you off the Main Street and down smaller and narrower side streets, where Kokichi let go of your hand and instead walked with large playful steps ahead of you, hands behind his head. Your hand felt colder after he let go and you suddenly felt a wave of anxiety wash over you. It had been comforting to know there was someone right beside you. 

“Jeez, what was that idiot thinking?” Kokichi wondered aloud. He was walking ahead of you and so you couldn’t see his face, but there was an edge to his voice. His movements were as relaxed and loose as ever, and yet some part of you seemed to pick up the tension radiating from him. He was hiding it well, and a casual observer may not have noticed, but you were observant of behaviour and could sense his agitation. It was most likely an ability you had picked up from Miaya.

“I hope she’s alright,” you added as the two of you turned another corner. 

The buildings on either side of you were high and cut out any sunlight, instead throwing you into a cool shade. This part of the area was dingy and grimy, obviously not regularly exposed to the sunlight. There was even puddles here and there where the effects of the heavy rain from a couple of days ago hadn’t quite evaporated. 

Why on earth had Miu come down this way? 

“You should stay behind me now, Inspector!” Kokichi said cheerily after a moment, looking over his shoulder at you. “It’s not like I really care personally about what happens to you, but it would be bad for me if you got hurt.”

“Noted,” You agreed, pulling out your dominator. “But remember, you’re not exactly expendable either, so if you see any trouble...”

“Silly Inspector (f/n)! Of course I’m expendable! I’m an enforcer, you know?” Kokichi reminded you. “Nobody would care if I died.” 

His tone was light and playful, but his words were heavy and they struck you painfully. You didn’t want anyone to feel that utterly alone.

You were about to open your mouth to reassure him somehow, when he instead spoke up: “Just kidding! That was a lie. You shouldn’t look so sad on my behalf, Inspector. I’m a liar after all.”

You paused for a moment, watching his back as he kept walking ahead of you, but quickly shook your head and hurried after him again.

Every time you were about to extend a hand out to this guy, it was as though he slapped it away again. Did he really trust in other people that little? Makoto has said that he thought Kokichi had taken more to you than you believed, but when he acted like this, you had to doubt that sentiment. 

Eventually the two of you rounded the corner and Kokichi paused. You came to a halt beside him and peered down the dimly lit street. It was grimy and dank, and smelled of human excrement. You wrinkled your nose against it, trying to make out anything amongst the suggestive shadows along the edges of the alleyway. The end was blocked off by a high wall and on the other side of it you could hear the familiar noises of the shopping district. You tensed, preparing for something to leap out of you, but Kokichi merely narrowed his eyes in displeasure. 

“Kokichi, what are we doing here?” you mumbled, trying not to breathe through your nose.

“This is it,” he explained with a shrug. “Check your GPS if you don’t believe me.” 

“Here?” You repeated, surprised. “You’re certain?”

“Nishishishi... Who do you take me for, Inspector?” he only responded. 

You frowned and took out your GPS to double-check. Sure enough, your location was marked by a red dot on the map where Miu had supposedly last been. 

But whatever she was doing, she wasn’t here anymore. And yet her tracker said she was. Had she lost it somehow? 

“Impossible,” Kokichi answered, as though he had read your mind. “Did you know that the trackers in our arms explode if you try to take them out? There’s no way she could have removed it.”

“They do!?” You yelped, taking an instinctive step back. The enforcers had explosives in their arms!? That was inhumane! That was-

“Nishishi, just kidding!” Kokichi chirped. 

You stared at him for a moment, uncomprehendingly. Your eyes were wide. 

“Oh, did you actually believe me?” he chuckled smugly. “I’m a liar you know.”

“N-No, I didn’t...” you lied uncomfortably. “And so you keep saying...”

"You know, Inspector, a talented liar like me can spot other people's lies easily,” he then reminded you, his grin widening.

“A-Anyway, we should check this place for clues,” you attempted to change the subject, knowing that this gag could run on forever with Kokichi. He wasn’t the type to let things slide.

“Gross,” he responded, wrinkling his nose. “I don’t wanna touch anything here. But I guess I’ll do it just for you, my beloved Inspector (f/n)!”

“You shouldn’t say stuff like that unless you mean it,” you muttered, pulling out a pair of black gloves from your pocket. “But anyway it’s not like I’m going to make you do it by yourself. I want to help, too.”

“Aww, how sweet of you, Inspector,” Kokichi grinned back teasingly as you slipped on your gloves. “But inspectors aren’t here to do the dirty work, you know? That’s what lowlifes like me are for!”

“But I’m your underling, remember?” you answered with a slight smile. “So it’s only right that I help you out, leader.”

For a moment Kokichi’s face went completely blank. Then he broke into a devilish grin and agreed: “Buuuut of course! A supreme leader like myself shouldn’t have to get his hands dirty. So get to work, Inspector!”

“Hey, that doesn’t mean you just get to sit around on your ass,” you protested.

“...did you say something?” Kokichi responded disapprovingly. 

You sighed. “Nothing.”

You stepped past the enforcer, further into the alley, hands tightening on your dominator. You weren’t sure why you felt so tense... The area was completely deserted, save for a couple of boxes.

You heard Kokichi’s steps behind you and he quickly caught up, walking by your side. He was glancing around in a seemingly nonchalant manner, but there was a sharpness in his eyes. 

There was a dumpster a couple of steps away, creating a small blind spot. There was no movement, but you were acutely aware that there was enough space there for someone to hide behind it. 

You raised your dominator carefully and began to edge towards the spot behind the dumpster. There was the familiar feeling of your heart thumping against your chest as you neared the spot. 

There was something extremely disconcerting about having a spot which you couldn’t see in a dark, deserted area like this, your only companion a latent criminal who you weren’t completely certain you could trust yet.

There was an odd sinking feeling in your chest as you shuffled towards the spot, dominator at the ready.

With a deep breath, you tightened your grip on your weapon and pushed off, whirling around the corner of the dumpster and pointing your gun at...empty space.

You blinked and did a double take. The spot was completely empty. You released a shaky breath in a quiet sigh of relief. All there was left there was a couple of crushed aluminium cans and an empty syringe, which made you wince a little.

Nevertheless, with no direct threat, you lowered your dominator. 

“Clear,” you whispered.

Your relief was short-lived as a moment later there was a loud rattling noise behind you. You jolted violently at the sudden noise and whipped around to look back at the way you’d came. It took a moment for you to realise what you were looking at. 

Kokichi had climbed up the side of the dumpster and was reaching his entire upper body into the large container. His legs flailed a little as he struggled to reach whatever was inside. 

“Kokichi!?” you yelped. “What are you doing? Why are you rooting around in the trash!?”

“Don’t worry about me,” Kokichi responded, his strained voice echoing around the plastic container. “There’s nothing I like doing more than going through other people’s trash!”

“That’s dangerous! You don’t know what could be in there!” you insisted.

You rushed back towards him and grabbed his legs, attempting to pull him out of the dumpster. Unfortunately he was surprisingly light and you pulled him out with ease, resulting in the two of you falling over backwards. You landed on your rear with a shriek and Kokichi came down after you, practically landing on your lap in a seated position, his back thudding heavily against your front. 

“I’ve got it!” he exclaimed proudly.

“Ow...” You whimpered in response.

Kokichi was clutching something in his right hand and you looked over his shoulder to see what it was as he slowly uncurled his fingers. 

He was holding something small and shiny in his hand and whatever it was flashed with a blue LED light, illuminating his hand at regular intervals.

“What is that?” you asked with a frown.

“A tracking device,” Kokichi explained. “Don’t get too close! It might be dangerous.” 

“I thought you said they were non-lethal,” you protested. 

“I never said that,” Kokichi responded, holding the small metallic object up to the dim light to get a better look and closing an eye to focus on it more easily. “You totally made that assumption by yourself.”

“Now I don’t know if I should be worried or not...” you responded anxiously. “Anyway, that tracker...does it belong to Miu?”

Kokichi frowned. “Most likely,” he responded. 

“You...You are telling the truth about that, right?” you asked suspiciously. 

“Don’t you trust me, Inspector (l/n)?” Kokichi asked you, his voice sounding hurt. He looked over his shoulder at you, exaggerated crocodile tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he sent you an innocent glance. “Does this look like the face of someone who would lie to you?” 

“It’s hard to tell sometimes,” you responded, giving him a light shove. “Can you get off? My legs hurt...”

“How rude,” Kokichi exclaimed dramatically, climbing off you nonetheless. “You were the one who made us fall in the first place.”

He reached out a hand to you and you took it, allowing him to pull you to your feet. You wobbled a little on your sore legs and dusted yourself off, attempting to remove some of the grime from your clothes. 

“Okay,” you began, attempting to gather your thoughts together. “So to summarise, Miu ran away and got lost somehow, removed her tracker and escaped. The question is, how did she get the tracker out? Do you think she really...cut it out of her arm?”

Kokichi’s expression turned thoughtful. After a moment he opened his mouth to say something and you looked at him expectantly.

“I always knew she was a masochist,” he grinned, nonchalantly throwing his hands behind his head. “But without that tracker she could be anywhere by now.”

You groaned quietly. You shouldn’t have expected anything else. Did this boy take anything seriously?

“I’m calling Naegi,” you sighed.

“Huh?” Kokichi responded, raising a hand in protest. “Wait, hold on! He’ll totally get mad at us! Even if it doesn’t seem like it, that guy is pretty scary when he gets angry, y’know.”

“Naegi...angry...?” You repeated nervously.

Immediately you began trying to conjure up a mental imagine of Makoto’s handsome face twisted in a furious scowl and failed. You shook your head.

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?” You muttered. 

Kokichi shrugged his narrow shoulders and smiled innocently. “Who can say?” 

“Well...even if he does get mad, we can’t sort this out by ourselves anymore,” you pointed out. “Without that tracker we’ll never find her with just the two of us.”

You tried to hide in your voice how nervous you were, and while Kokichi didn’t say anything, you had a feeling he knew it too. He only watched you expectantly as you began to dial Makoto and waited for him to pick up.

You hoped you looked at least presentable, and tucked a stray piece of hair self-consciously behind your ear as you waited for Makoto to pick up. Kokichi smirked at you in a way that told you he was going to tease you about it later. 

Before you had time to scold him however, the dial tone cut off and Makoto’s face appeared on the holographic screen.

“Ah, (l/n),” he greeted you with his signature friendly smile. “Sorry about that. It’s been a little hectic over here.”

Just as he said that there was a crashing sound in the background, followed by the sound of something shattering. 

Makoto paled, glancing away from the screen and exclaiming: “Ah, Nagito!”

“I’m alright,” came Nagito’s muffled apologetic voice from somewhere offscreen. 

“Be more careful,” Jin’s disapproving voice snapped. He sounded strained.

“Are you sure you’re okay...?” Makoto asked an unseen Nagito sheepishly, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. 

“Jeez, what a racket,” Kokichi complained. “Trash like him should just go sit in a corner and eat spiders or something.”

“Well, if that’s what everyone wants...” Nagito responded glumly.

“Ah, is Kokichi there with you?” Makoto asked you, turning his attention back to you.

“Y-Yeah, he’s right here,” you answered, tilting the hologram a little for Makoto to see.

“Beloved Makoto! I’m so happy to see your face again,” Kokichi put in, beaming cheekily.

“I heard what happened,” Makoto continued. “I’m glad you’re both okay.”

You felt your heart flutter slightly at his sincerity, but you pushed it back down. You had more important things to discuss.

“Ah, that’s right... Is Miu with you guys?” Makoto asked, as though reading your mind. 

“Ah...well,” you began nervously. “That’s actually why I’m calling.”

Makoto’s expression turned to one of alarm. “Has something happened?” he asked. 

“Well, the thing is...” you began. “Miu has disappeared.”

******

Makoto arrived at the shopping district in just under ten minutes or so. He had taken a vehicle most of the way, but had seemingly gone by foot for the rest as he was breathing heavily when you reached the meeting place, doubled over and supporting himself with his hands on his legs. 

Shuichi and Jin were with him. Shuichi looked similarly winded, hand resting on the wall of the building beside him, but Jin seemed stoic and serious as ever, not even having broken a sweat. 

“Sorry,” was the first thing Makoto gasped as you approached, Kokichi at your heels. “We got stuck in traffic.”

“Ah, no, don’t worry...” you responded uncertainly. “But...is it just the three of you?”

You hadn’t been working at the Bureau very long, but you were pretty certain that having five of you there to find Miu wouldn’t be much more helpful than just having the two of you. 

“Don’t worry, we’ve already dispatched several search parties in the area,” Makoto reassured you, straightening himself up. “With any luck, one of the the bots will pick her up before we do. Kyoko and Nagito stayed behind to wrap up the incident earlier.”

“So...did you guys find anything?” You asked hopefully. 

The three of them exchanged a glance, looking subdued.

At that Jin sighed frustratedly and shook his head. “Not a thing.”

“In the end we got transferred away from the case,” Shuichi added glumly. 

“Again?” You exclaimed. That was twice that had happened, and both times it was something related to the incident in that old building. First Izuru, now Soushun. It was definitely suspicious and it began to gnaw at your curiosity, despite your best efforts not to think about it. It was out of your hands now. 

“They’ve put Togami in charge of the investigation,” Jin explained tiredly. 

“But he was our witness!” You protested, incensed.

“That’s what I said,” Makoto sighed, shaking his head. “Whatever’s going on, I guess we have to trust in Togami now. Don’t lose hope, I’m certain that guy can figure it out!”

“Jeez, someone really doesn’t want us getting involved, do they?” Kokichi whined from beside you. 

You could understand a little of how he felt. Sometimes you felt like a tiny cog in a huge machine. Without the tiny cogs, the machine could not go on, but just as a caterpillar had no way of knowing that one day it would become a butterfly, so the tiny cogs would have no idea what they were working towards in the end. You just kept on turning, continued to work to the rhythm without ever asking why.

When you thought too deeply about how little you would amount to in the greater scale of things, you would despair a little. You wanted to make a difference to the world and that was why you had decided to join the Public Safety Bureau, but how could you hope to make a difference, even now, when you couldn’t help anyone?

Seeing your expression and most likely mistaking it for guilt, Makoto placed a hand gently on your shoulder and said softly: “This isn’t your fault. You shouldn’t blame yourself, (f/n).”

Your heart thudded once, painfully, and you snapped back to reality. 

You sent him a weak smile. “Thanks, Makoto.” 

The words rolled naturally off your tongue and for a moment you barely noticed what you had just said. It was Makoto who jolted first and took a step back.

“A-Ah! I’m sorry!” he yelped, waving his hands around in a flustered manner. “I called you by your given name without asking!” 

You thought back for a moment, and suddenly your face began to feel warm and prickly. 

“Oh god,” You yelped, burying your face in your hands in embarrassment. “So did I... I’m so sorry!”

Suddenly Kokichi burst into a loud cackle at that, and bent over slightly to clutch his stomach in laughter. “She totally just went along with it!” he snorted gleefully, enjoying your discomfort. 

You looked up glared fiercely at the enforcer, but he ignored you and continued to cackle away to himself. He was drawing looks from passers-by with his hysterical laughter. 

Shuichi glanced at the ground nervously, uncomfortable with the attention Kokichi was drawing. Jin only stood nearby with an alert expression on his face. 

“I-It’s fine,” Makoto stammered sheepishly. “It was my fault!”

“No, I’m sorry too!” You exclaimed. “But I...didn’t mind or anything...”

“Ahaha... In that case, feel free to call me Makoto as well,” he answered, rubbing the back of his neck. “So, about Miu...”

“Right,” you remembered, shaking your head lightly to clear any irrelevant thoughts. Your face still felt flushed. “I’ll show you the place where we lost her.”

With a nod to the others, you led Makoto and Shuichi through the busy streets, with Kokichi wandering a few paces ahead and Jin bringing up the rear of the group. Last minute shoppers rushed about amongst couples on dates and content pedestrians returning home after a successful day of shopping.

There was a calm atmosphere about the shopping district, the total opposite of the panic that was rising up inside you at Miu’s disappearance. You couldn’t shake the feeling that it was your fault for thoughtlessly rushing on ahead and leaving her behind. You had expected her to be right behind you the entire time and had been so focused on the chase in front of you that you had left Miu to her own devices. 

There was the buzz of happy chatter in the air, which instead of relaxing you and cheering you up like it usually did, only put you on edge.

Makoto has told you not to blame yourself, but you couldn’t help it. Whatever had happened to Miu, it was your fault for taking your eyes off her.

Had she attempted to escape? To cut out her tracker to start again somewhere? Or had something else befallen her? Perhaps she had been kidnapped or worse, and it was all your fault for rushing off.

Kokichi wandered ahead, pushing through the crowds of pedestrians and you kept your eyes firmly fixed on him, afraid of losing him in the busy streets as well. You got the feeling he could handle himself, but he was also unpredictable and calculating. You doubted you could outsmart someone like him. It seemed to you like the only ones capable of keeping up with him were Kyoko and possibly Jin. 

Kokichi led the four of you back down the increasingly narrow and dingy side-streets towards the place you had found Miu’s tracker, with you a couple of steps behind with Makoto. Jin and Shuichi followed behind you in silence. It wasn’t a comfortable silence however, but a tense veil that seemed to block out any desire for conversation. 

It felt like you were all waiting for something, but you didn’t like to consider what that something was. Only Kokichi seemed unbothered, winding ahead with his hands behind his head, humming something to himself and hopping a little to avoid stepping on crack on the pavement.

You felt like you should have scolded him for not acting more seriously given the situation, but if anything his seemingly carefree disposition calmed you. If he wasn’t worried, then perhaps you didn’t need to be either. 

“What was she doing here?” Makoto frowned, as you rounded the corner down the narrow street.

“A...dead end?” Shuichi added quietly from behind you.

“Perfect for a...” Jin trailer off. He closed his eyes and sighed. “Perfect for an ambush.”

You’re heart leapt painfully. That was a possibility you hadn’t wanted to linger on for too long. 

“Do you think she was lured here and attacked?” you asked nervously. 

“From the information that you have given us, that does seem like the most likely,” Jin answered. “If that is indeed the case, then you truly have no reason to blame yourself.”

“H-Huh...? Mr Kirigiri...” you murmured gratefully in response. 

“Sooooo... What now Inspector Naegi~?” Kokichi drawled cheerily. “You want me to put my nose to work?” 

You realised he was making a reference to the fact that the enforcers were often condescendingly called the police dogs of the Bureau, but decided not to pick him up on it. You couldn’t let yourself forget that Kokichi was obviously good at what he did. Even now you were certain he was thinking hard behind his smiling exterior, the cogs in his brain working towards a conclusion.

“Everyone...take a look at this,” Shuichi interrupted quietly. 

You had almost forgotten he was with you, him having been so quiet since you arrived. You had to search the dark for a moment with your eyes to locate him.

Shuichi was crouched down a couple of paces away, a hand on the wall beside him, squinting at something at the base of the wall with a frown. He had an intent look in his eyes as though he was considering something. Possibilities appeared to be rushing through his head.

“What is it?” Makoto asked, walking over and crouching down beside him. “Is that...?”

You joined them by the wall as well and peered through the dark. The mark Shuichi pointed at on the wall was so tiny and indiscreet that at first you couldn’t make it out in the dim alley and you were impressed that he had noticed it at all. 

Down by the base of the wall there was a small brown splatter of something, almost indistinguishable from the wall. It appeared to have splattered against the wall and had run slightly down it, leaving a thin trail behind.

You leaned in a little closer and narrowed your eyes. On closer inspection you noted that it was actually more of a dark red and shuddered lightly. You moved back from it, your shoulder inadvertently brushing lightly against Shuichi’s. He tensed a little at the touch, and tugged nervously on his cap. 

“What do you think it is?” You asked, although a part of you already seemed to expect the answer.

“It’s ketchup, dummy,” Kokichi grinned. “What did you think it was?” 

You glanced up at him. “Really?” You asked hopefully. 

“Of course not,” Jin answered. “I’m afraid that’s blood.”

“B-Blood?” Makoto stammered, looking more closely. “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Jin affirmed. “Fresh too, by the looks of it.” 

“How can you tell?” You asked curiously. 

“Because it’s still red,” Jin explained. “If it were older than a couple of hours it would be darker.”

“Blood gets darker when it dries?” you asked, impressed.

“Dummy. You didn’t even know that?” Kokichi asked. 

“Well, I know now...” you defended yourself weakly. 

“Ignore him and think of it as a learning curve,” Jin interrupted. “Anyway, the question is, who’s blood is it?” 

“Maybe it’s nothing...” you suggested hopefully, though you didn’t really believe it yourself. “Someone could have been down here before us.”

“I don’t think so...” Shuichi responded uncomfortably. “Look at where we’re standing and compare it to the rest of the area. Do you see anything?” 

You glanced at your feet. The floor was slightly damp. You then lifted your head and looked along the street, noticing the rubbish, the dinginess and dirt... 

“Huh...?” You asked suddenly, confused. “Why is this bit cleaner...?”

“I’d say somebody was trying to clean up,” Jin explained. “And recently too. The ground is still damp.”

“That’s it!” Makoto exclaimed. “So someone was trying to clean up...something, and happened to miss a spot?”

“So then we need to look for anything that might tell us what that something was?” you suggested.

Makoto nodded and responded: “Good thinking. I’ll call a team in here to run some tests and look for security footage. Well done for spotting that, Saihara.”

“A-Ah... It’s nothing,” Shuichi responded modestly, tugging his hat down. 

For a moment you felt a flash of anxiety at that. Why hadn’t you noticed it? Shuichi had been the one to point it out. You should have been paying closer attention. 

You continued to worry as the five of you examined the area in minute detail until the forensics team arrived, turning over anything you could find to no avail. Whoever had cleaned up here had done a good job. 

Even as you stepped back and allowed the specialists to do their jobs, worry nagged at the back of your mind. Who’s blood was that? Did it have something to do with finding Miu’s tracker here? You glanced over to where the forensics team was taking swabs from the wall.

You glanced up at the slowly darkening sky as the sun sunk behind the city skyline. Stars were beginning to appear on the clear orange sky. Out there in the city search teams were out looking for Miu, methodically combing the area. You were impressed at how seriously the teams were taking it, as you weren’t sure if they would have taken the loss of a single enforcer all that seriously. It made you wonder if there was some other reason they were so eager to find her. Was it because her job as an enforcer gave her access to insider information? Part of you honestly doubted that the bureau would take it so seriously for any other reason. 

You hadn’t had many conversations with Miu, let alone civil ones, or even spent much time with her, but in the short time you had been working together you had already gotten a sense of her personality. She was not and never would be expendable in your eyes. She may have been unpredictable and foul-mouthed but she was a human as well, with feelings and interests. 

“Miu...” you mumbled quietly.

You were so lost in thought that you never noticed Makoto walking over to you, holding something out in his hand. 

“Coffee?” he asked.

You glanced up, focusing your attention on him with an apologetic glance. He smiled warmly back at you and indicated to the cup he was holding in his hand. 

“A-ah...! You didn’t have to...” You stammered, looking at your feet. Your cheeks felt hot as you reached out to take the cup from him. “Thank you very much...”

To make matters worse, your fingers brushed his hand lightly as you reached out and you flushed, fingers tingling. 

You scolded yourself mentally at your overreaction to this basic gesture. A large part of you knew that you were developing a massive crush on Makoto, but you didn’t want to admit it to yourself. He was just so genuine and considerate. He was kind and patient and thoughtful and seemed to inspire others to be the same.

“Don’t worry, (f/n),” he attempted to reassure you. “We’ll find her.”

You forced a smile, grateful for his words, despite the intense feeling of anxiety that was steadily growing in the pit of your stomach. 

Makoto nodded and moved on, wandering over to Jin where the two began talking quietly about something.

You tore your eyes away and looked back down the narrow street. Shuichi was crouched down near the dumpster, going methodically over every nook and cranny of the street.

You stepped over to him, dodging the forensics team and crouching down beside him. He was so lost in thought at first that he didn’t seem to register your presence at all, instead running a pale finger over the dirty pavement. It came away black and Shuichi’s eyes narrowed as he stared at it.

“What is it?” You asked after a moment, making him jump violently, almost losing his balance.

“A-Ah...!”

“Sorry, sorry!” You apologised quickly, grabbing his free hand and pulling him to his feet beside you. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“N-No, it’s nothing...” Shuichi stammered, flustered. “It’s just...the wall back there...”

He gestured vaguely towards the wall at the end of the street, which blocked off the small alleyway from the street beyond. 

“Is...is something wrong with it?” You asked. 

“Well, it’s just...that it’s also a lot cleaner,” he explained. “Here, let me show you.” 

He walked up to the wall at the end of the street, with you beside him, and ran his fingers over it. They came away slightly damp and a little grubby, but nowhere near as darkened as they had before. 

You blinked. “Are you saying there was something here, too?” 

“Ah, it’s likely,” Shuichi responded, attempting to wipe his fingers on the front of his blazer. 

You reached into your pocket and pulled out a folded pale blue handkerchief and held it out to him, indicating that he should take it. 

For a moment he only stared at it, confused. Then he shook his head quickly and said: “But it’ll get dirty...”

“I don’t mind,” you told him with a slight smile. “You can just return it to me later.”

“Ah, in that case...” Shuichi agreed gratefully, taking it carefully from your outstretched hand. “Thank you very much, (l/n).” 

He glanced back at the wall in front of you and frowned, wiping his fingers gingerly on the handkerchief before pushing it into his pocket for safekeeping.

“I wonder where it comes out...” you thought aloud after a moment. 

“Same here,” Shuichi agreed. “I can still hear voices on the other side...”

You thought for a moment, moving a little closer to the wall. You placed a hand to your chin in consideration, trying to create a mental map of the place. A hunch was starting to form in your head and yet you wanted to be certain. And the quickest way of doing that...

“Her Shuichi, give me a boost, will you?” 

“Huh? But...”

“Don’t worry!” you assured him. “I’m not afraid of heights or anything.”

“That’s not it...” Shuichi mumbled, but complied anyway, crouching down and lacing his fingers together. 

“Sorry about this,” you apologised with a sheepish smile, before stepping up into his interlocked hands, leaning against the wall for balance. 

With a grunt, Shuichi pushed you upwards, wobbling a little with the strain. 

“Woah!” You yelped, almost losing your balance, barely managing to clutch back onto the wall. You weren’t used to this at all. 

“Are you okay?” Shuichi asked worriedly. “Do you want to switch?” 

“N-No...I’m okay,” you assured him. “Thanks, though.”

You grabbed onto the top of the wall, hooking your elbows on it and pulling yourself up, until you were slumped over the top of the wall, holding on with your elbows. You stood with a single foot tiptoed on Shuichi’s hands, the other dangling uselessly and trying to get a foothold on the impossibly smooth wall. 

You strained a little to keep your hold, squinting at the sudden brightness brought about by street lamps on the other side. As your eyes adjusted painfully slowly, you began to make out figures and shapes and gasped, almost tumbling over backwards.

“What? What is it? What do you see?” Shuichi exclaimed.

You glanced around. You were slumped over a wall in the darkest corner of the shopping square, just above a hologram of various plants and flowers. Your head was in fact poking right through a hologram of a wall, extending past where there actual wall stopped and giving the impression that it reached up higher than it really did. There was an ornamental marble pillar a couple of paces away, holding up a glass overhanging roof above. 

Several late night shoppers continued to mill about across the square, chatting away, lugging bags, resting in late night restaurants... A holographic fountain ran in the middle of it all, sparkling in amongst the night life.

There was an excited yet tired buzz about the place and you recognised it quickly, after a moment to get your bearings. 

“It’s...it’s the shopping district square,” you said after a moment, rubbing your eyes against the dark. “Near where we first saw Mitarai...”

“Huh? The man you chased from before?” Shuichi asked curiously. 

“Yeah, that’s the guy,” you answered, another thought occurring to you. “By the way Shuichi, can you see my, um...underwear?”

“A-Ah! Sorry!” your partner yelped suddenly, flinching a little. 

‘Sorry’? So he had then. You sighed and glanced back into the square. You had bigger things to worry about, and had totally forgotten you were wearing a skirt.

As you glanced over the wall again, you noticed a couple giving you an odd stare, and so you smiled sheepishly at them and ducked your head, asking Shuichi to lower you back to the ground. He complied with a strained groan and carefully helped you down. 

“You said you found him on the other side of this wall?” Shuichi asked after a moment to compose himself.

“Yeah... Do you think there’s some significance?” You asked curiously.

“Ah, well, I can’t really say for sure yet,” Shuichi responded uncertainly. “But you said he was delivering something right?” 

“So you think whoever he was waiting for...was literally just on the other side? Here?” you asked in realisation. 

“It’s possible,” Shuichi nodded. “Here, take a look at this.”

He pulled out a tiny plastic packet and held it out towards you carefully. You squinted and took it gently from him, holding it up to the light. For a moment you thought he had handed you an empty packet for some reason before noticing that in fact there was what appeared to be a single thin, blonde hair inside. It was long and slightly wavy and looked as though it was bleached rather than natural. There was a reddish tinge towards the root, and you screwed up your eyes to get a better look.

“Is it Miu’s?” You asked, confused. 

“Maybe...” Shuichi responded dubiously. “I found it near the blood splatter over there. Something they missed, maybe?”

It might’ve been a trick of the light, but it looked paler than Miu’s hair, finer and well-kept. But there was only so much you could tell from a single hair. 

You shook your head and handed the evidence back to Shuichi. “Let’s have forensics analyse this later,” you suggested. “Maybe they can tell us whether it was Miu’s or not.”

“Right,” Shuichi agreed, tucking it safely away again. 

There was a disruption amongst the team as someone’s ringtone went off suddenly, causing an array of shuffling as people looked about for the source of the noise. You checked your wrist instinctively, though you were pretty sure it wasn’t your device. 

“Ah, sorry, that’s me,” Makoto announced sheepishly after a moment, accepting the call. 

A holographic screen appeared in front of his face and Kyoko appeared on it, her usually blank expression strained. 

“Kyoko!” Makoto beamed at her. “Everything okay?”

“Makoto,” she greeted. “There’s been a distress call in the shopping district. I’m sending you the details.”

“Huh? What kind of distress call?” Makoto asked, blinking. 

You and Shuichi approached, standing nearby without so much as an attempt to hide your curiosity and waiting for an explanation. 

“I don’t know yet,” Kyoko answered. “Something about the holograms. But you should go quickly. It seems serious.” 

“Okay, I’ll head over there now,” Makoto promised. “Thanks, Kyoko.”

“It’s no problem,” she only responded and hung up, the screen going blank.

Makoto stared for a moment, watching the space she’d been, before shaking his head and sending you a sheepish smile.

“She hung up on you! That’s so mean!” Someone whined and you glanced over to find Kokichi approaching the three of you. 

“It’s not like that,” Makoto protested, actually puffing out his cheeks a little in indignation. “She’s just busy...”

“You’re aaaalways defending her!” Kokichi responded. “If you’re not careful, you might make someone jealous!” 

You shot Kokichi a death-glare, but he only snickered in response.

“Huh? Sorry...” Makoto responded, confused. His head tilted slightly and he scratched his cheek with a forefinger. 

_‘How cute...’_

“Anyway, why don’t you guys finish up here? I’ll go and see what the distress call was about,” Makoto suggested. 

“Are you going alone?” Shuichi asked worriedly. He seemed to have something on his mind. 

“I’ll take Mr Kirigiri with me,” Makoto reassured him. “Will you guys be alright?” 

“Come on, Inspector Makoto!” Kokichi interrupted with an exaggerated expression of hurt on his face. “Don’t you trust me to take care of these guys by myself?” 

“I’d sooner trust Dracula with a blood bank,” Shuichi muttered almost inaudibly.

“You’re awful, Inspector Shuichi...” Kokichi whined. “How mean... WAAAAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAA-“

“Keep it down!” You exclaimed, grabbing him and clamping a hand over his mouth, muffling his attention seeking wailing.

The forensics teams had paused in what they were doing and stopped to glare at the enforcer. 

“Mmmhhmhh!” Kokichi protested, trying to free himself from your grasp.

Failing to wriggle away, he instead opened his mouth. You realised too late what he was going to do, and didn’t have time to snatch your hand away before he stuck his tongue out and licked it. 

You yanked your hand back in shock, a shiver running down your spine. You stared at the enforcer on disbelief. He looked incredibly pleased with himself.

“You licked me!” You accused him, desperately wiping your hand on your skirt. 

Kokichi shrugged and smiled innocently, as Shuichi watched the two of you in bemusement. 

Makoto laughed lightly and patted the younger inspectors’ shoulder lightly. “Hang in there,” he told Shuichi in amusement. 

Shuichi stayed quiet, his shoulders hunched tensely. He merely nodded to Makoto as the more experienced inspector excused himself and began to head off, collecting Jun on the way. 

The young Inspector watched the two of you bicker with a sigh, and began take some mental notes on the situation. 

Earlier that day, a report of a suspicious person was called into the Public Safety Bureau. Filed as a non-emergency situation, you were dispatched less than twenty minutes later. An hour had then passed in which you had been at the shopping district, looking out for any signs of suspicious behaviour. In early afternoon, Kokichi had spotted a young man with unusual behaviour. That young man had been Ryota Mitarai, who had then attempted to escape upon spotting you. You and Kokichi had chased after him, leaving Miu’s whereabouts unknown. He had supposedly been carrying a bag with him, which you had been unable to locate. Ryota had been arrested and taken into secure custody for interrogation by one of the bots. During this time you had realised that Miu was absent, gone searching for half an hour or so before calling Makoto. Several search teams had been dispatched as well, with a nationwide alert being sent out less than two hours after she was last seen. A warning had also been issued to the bots, who were to report any sighting of the missing enforcer. So far there had been absolutely no sign of her, an almost impossible feat. 

Truthfully Shuichi was not expecting to find her alive, though he didn’t have the heart to tell you that. He could tell you were blaming yourself and he couldn’t bring himself to take away your hope. 

He also had a hunch that there were multiple culprits involved and that some of them may even still be nearby, which was why he had been adverse to Makoto going on alone.

And then there was the disappearance of the bag Ryota had had with him. Someone had most likely picked it up. An accomplice? Perhaps. Most likely Ryota was the unwilling courier of some kind of dangerous item to a third party. There wasn’t much the Bureau could tell about the item inside without actually having the bag in their custody, beside what Ryota had told them about it and so there was nothing that could be done except take his word for it for now.

Finally there was the odd condition and location of the alleyway he was currently standing in, watching you argue with Kokichi. 

He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but he had a sneaking suspicion that something violent had occurred here and that the few clean areas of the alley were the scene of whatever crime was committed.

He supposed he should probably voice these suspicions to you at some point, but first he had to separate the facts from his deductions. He knew better than to rely on gut feeling alone and so decided he needed a little more time to gather his thoughts before bothering you with them. 

Separating you from Kokichi was another thing, and he didn’t want to have any serious conversations around the fickle and unpredictable enforcer. 

He was impressed at how confidently you usually handled the enforcers, but even you had a point at which you grew impatient with Kokichi it seemed. And yet for some reason the two of you rarely seemed apart while on the clock. Whether it was by choice, or because Kokichi kept dragging you around, Shuichi wasn’t sure however.

“Shuichi?” 

Someone was calling his name, breaking him out of his thoughts. At first the voice sounded far away, but as he drew his focus back to the scene in front of him, it seemed to grow closer, more real. 

“Shuichi?” You asked again, waving your hand in front of his face. “Are you okay?”

“Yooohooooo, earth to Shuichi!” Kokichi added, tugging on Shuichi’s sleeve. 

Shuichi snapped out of it. “A-Ah, sorry,” he apologised sheepishly. “What were you saying?” 

“I was just asking if you’re okay,” you repeated with a look of concern. “You looked worried.”

“Ah, yes, I’m okay,” Shuichi responded quickly, shaking himself slightly as though to rid unwanted thoughts. “I was just wondering about something.”

“Shuichi, Shuichi, are you overthinking again?” Kokichi grinned. “If you keep wrinkling your forehead like that, you’ll go bald, y’know?”

“H-Huh?” Shuichi stammered, nervously grabbing his cap with a thumb and forefinger.

“Is that another lie?” You asked dubiously. “I’ve never heard that before.”

Kokichi shrugged. “Didn’t you know that 80% of my lies are told with good intentions?”

“That’s definitely a lie,” you responded blankly. 

“How mean!”

“I was...just wondering if the culprit is still nearby,” Shuichi interrupted suddenly. 

You looked at him, surprised. The culprit still nearby...? Certainly it was possible... It made sense that whoever had taken the bag was probably long gone by now, but there had been suspicious activity going on in the area all day. For example there was the issue of who had called in the Public Safety Bureau in the first place, an entire hour before you had even seen Ryota. 

It seemed unlikely that someone as nervous as Ryota had been hanging around in plain sight for an entire hour so you had to doubt that he was the suspicious individual you had originally been called in for. But if it wasn’t him, then who else had been here? 

With Miu’s sudden disappearance you had to consider the possibility of an ambush of some kind, luring the Bureau out with a story about a suspicious individual near the shopping district. Perhaps there had even been several people involved, accomplices to one another. 

It would certainly explain Ryota’s fear and the disappearance of the bag. It was also possible that Ryota had been a distraction of some kind, to separate Miu from the main group. If that was the case, then had they been targeting her directly? Or just members of the Bureau? Had Miu simply been unlucky?

Perhaps if Kokichi has been slower or if you had lagged further behind, you would be the ones missing. 

“So you think so too...that there was an accomplice,” you murmured. “It’s also true that a culprit will often return to the scene of a crime to admire their own work. Kokichi, what do you think?”

“I think Miu is probably dead,” he answered with a blank expression. 

“H-Huh...?” You stammered, shocked. Did he really mean that?

Then he cracked into a grin and added: “Just kidding. Even I would be sad if Miu died... But that’s a lie as well! Nobody would cry for someone like her.”

“That’s...so cruel,” you responded sadly, looking at your feet. “I would cry for Miu. And I would also cry for you. Everyone deserves to have a person who cares.”

Kokichi’s expression turned blank again.

“Inspector, did you forget?” he asked, his voice steady, eyes trained on you. “I’m a latent criminal. Nobody could care about someone like me!”

“That’s not true!” you protested fiercely. 

“Nishishi... That was another lie,” Kokichi chuckled darkly. “Lots of people would be angry if I died... Just kidding!” 

You narrowed your eyes at him and sighed, responding: “We’ve gotten sidetracked. It possible that the culprit had an accomplice. We can all agree, right?”

Shuichi nodded.

Kokichi shook his head, responding: “No way! What kind of an idiot would rely on trusted comrades for something important like this?” 

You took that as a yes. 

“So what’s our next move?” you wondered aloud. “The forensics team will wrap up around here... Maybe we should scout the area a little?”

“Ah, good idea,” Shuichi agreed with a nod. 

The three of you barely had time to consider it when suddenly your ear pieces crackled and Makoto’s voice spoke through them: “(F/n), Saihara, Kokichi...r-requesting assistance. Y-You guys should probably come and see this.” 

He was stammering slightly as though talking through chattering teeth and something about his voice sounded off. It was strained and shaky and wavered terribly as he told you guys the location. 

“Beloved Makoto!” Kokichi beamed, cracking into a wide smile. “What’s going on?”

“Is everything okay?” Shuichi added anxiously. 

“It’s...” Makoto began and paused, swallowing thickly. “It’s Miu... She’s...please, come quick.”

“Makoto...?” You asked worriedly in response, your heart rate picking up. There was a sinking feeling in your stomach.

There was no response and the call cut off.

You exchanged a glance with Kokichi and Shuichi. Kokichi’s expression was oddly blank, which somehow made the situation even worse. Shuichi’s eyes were wide, and he was chewing on the inside of his cheek.

Kokichi shot off ahead before you had time to even give the order, and instead you exchanged a quick nod with Shuichi and the two of you ran after him, down narrow streets and alleyways in the dark. You concentrated on your feet to avoid tripping on anything, trying to keep your thoughts away from what you might find when you arrived. 

Makoto had given you a location just outside the centre of the shopping district, in a place known for it’s beautiful and lifelike holograms. It was a popular picnic area during sunny days and was surrounded by coffee shop an dessert cafes, but at this late hour it would most likely be almost deserted. 

It didn’t take you long to get there, sprinting through the dark streets, illuminated only by the street lamps and occasional window display.

It wasn’t hard to tell there was something wrong, the moment you entered the park area. The holograms were turned off and the area looked unusually dark and empty. Already a car from the Public Safety Bureau was parked at the scene and bots were meandering about, methodically sealing the area off.

Warning lights flashed, and there was the sound of sirens in the distance, growing closer by the moment.

You flashed your ID cards towards one of the nearby bots and walked in through the security tape hologram, towards the centre of the artificial grass, created to give the holograms a more realistic feeling underfoot.

Bots and teams of Inspectors were milling about, blocking your view of whatever was lying on the artificial grass, but as you watched, one of the younger men barely managed to stumble away from the crowd and collapsed nearby, throwing up. 

This was one of the first concrete signs that something awful definitely awaited you inside the small semi-circle gathering around whatever lay on the grass. 

You steeled yourself and clenched your teeth together as your pace slowed involuntarily, dread tugging against your every step, as though you were fighting your way upstream against a fast moving river. Your hands clenched into fists. 

As you approached one of the investigators turned to look at you and you realised it was Makoto. His face looked pale and strangely hollow in the unusual lighting and panic seemed to rise in his expression as you neared.

“(F/n),” he tried to protest weakly, as you began to push through the crowd, Shuichi behind you. “M-Maybe you shouldn’t...” 

You walked past him silently, him not having the energy or willpower to reach out and stop you.

The last of the crowd parted and you finally reached the centre of the attention.

Your stomach dropped.

Time froze. 

Your heart pounded. 

Blood rushed in your ears. 

Nothing else existed in the world at that moment. 

You felt as though you were floating in an empty void, alone in complete silence with the...thing in front of you. You could feel your face draining of blood and you began to tremble, bile rising in your throat. 

You didn’t even hear the choked sound coughed out by Shuichi, as he began to wheeze and paw weakly at his collar, as though he weren’t getting enough air. 

You wanted to scream, but couldn’t even bring yourself to move. The sight in front of you was incomprehensible. It was bad enough having seen something like this before, but when it was someone you had known... Someone who had been alive only hours ago... Someone you had talked to as a companion...

In front of you, a body sat on the grass. It wasn’t lying on the ground, splayed out or collapsed in a heap...no, it was _sitting upright._ And as if that wasn’t bad enough, as your gaze trailed up the body from bottom to top, your eyes came to a sudden stop, fixated on the area where the head should have been.

But instead of the neck sloping into the head, it cut off in a bloody, raw stump. It was absolutely grizzly, wet and meaty, and there was ragged bone, presumably from the spine, jutting out from it. 

The skin of the body looked pale and waxy from what you could see, drained of blood.

The pink uniform on the body was stained dark, encrusted with the missing blood and torn here and there. It was a messy job and you retched a little, wobbling on your feet. 

In front of you, sitting cross-legged in the grass, her severed head lying in her lap, was the decapitated dead body of the beautiful girl genius, Miu Iruma, arranged horrifyingly like some kind of sick exhibit, completely lifeless and almost unrecognisable. 

There was a sudden rush of pain in your stomach and you hunched over. 

You pushed your way numbly out of the crowd and collapsed on the grass nearby, legs giving way. 

Then you promptly threw up on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nagito: so how did you end up here??  
> Miu: I killed three people what about you  
> Nagito: I illegally downloaded blank space

**Author's Note:**

> Again, thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this, though it felt a little rushed at points. I am a little nervous about getting any of the characters OOC, so I hope it's okay!
> 
>  
> 
> -ButterFly


End file.
